Silences
by Maximum Writers
Summary: The Flock goes to regular school because they are threatened to do so. In this particular school, they discover that there are not only secrets hidden between it's walls, but that some things are meant to be unsaid. FAX. MR3 SPOILERS.
1. Chapter 1

**Okay everybody!**

**This is my 2nd fanfict, and I feel that this one I won't mess up on like Being Nice is Fictional.**

**This time, only me, Mare is writing this story.**

**(Two people share this account.)**

**Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

**Review and tell me if you think it's a good idea to continue!**

Prologue.

**School Professor POV**

I sat at the _extremely_ long meeting table.

When I say extremely, I really mean it.

It had to be at least 30 feet long to fit every single teacher in this gigantic school into one room.

For a public school, we were pretty upper-class. **(A/N: this isn't meant to offend anyone. But the school I have in mind is HUGE.)**

Principal Revfel, with his thin mustache walked into the meeting room, and pointed to a white board right behind him with a bed sheet pinned down with thumb tacks.

"Behind this board is your teams, and the list of students you will have in your six periods," he began. "We have several new students from the Northern area, and many of ours from previous years are moving to charter and private schools." I tried to ignore the bitterness he had in his voice.

"Anyway, we will do this like we did the years before this one." he took his hand and pulled down the sheet with a single tug. The thumb tacks fell, and he took a broom and swept them into a waste basket.

I was called first.

Walking up, I was still on team 8A, 8th grade, but the 'A' stood for 'accelerated'.

I took the taped piece of paper underneath the small letters and looked at my students for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th period. I didn't have a planning hour this year.

While flipping through 4th period, I saw two names that seemed utterly odd. There was no last name for one of them,

_21. Maximum Ride_

_22. Nick._

I didn't feel like bothering Principal Revfel.

Chapter 1

**Max's POV**

I sat down at a wooden table, with a with pale yellow poka dotted tablecloth and pale green place mats.

I still didn't believe I was going along with this. Of course, I had been begged by Nudge and Angel, but I always said that it wasn't possible.

Wonder what I can be thinking about?

Well, here's the news...

Get ready, you'll heart will probably stop, like mine, when you figure it out...

IT'S REGULAR SCHOOL!!!

(exclude the exclamation marks.)

Now, I had been _threatened_ to go. Yeah, the School, and Itex, I guess, decided that learning a few facts might be good in our 'bombing the world' type thing.

Joy.

"Morning." mumbled Fang as he walked into the kitchen.

"Why are you up so early?" I asked him, while he reached up into the cupboard and took out a bowl and a box of cereal.

"Hey, you were up way before me." he pointed out.

I rolled my eyes.

"This house freaks me out."

"Mhmm..." he snickered and I glared at him.

Dr. Martinez and Ella, along with Jeb (woopie.), were flying down from Arizona right here to Florida today. They needed to explain things and Ella needed a little vacation, or that's what I heard.

"Is anyone else up?" I asked, boredly playing around with the tablecloth.

"No." Fang said between bites of cereal. "Then again, you can't tell anymore when Angel is asleep or not."

I agreed.

Angel had mastered the 'fake sleeping' technique.

It gets pretty annoying.

Fang brought his bowl of cereal, which was now pretty much just milk, to the table to join me.

The house has five rooms.

Nudge and Angel shared, because they were just _so_ flexible. Yeah, right.

My room was all blue, light blue paint, blue comforter, blue stringy rug, EVERYTHING!

Apparently, way before they decided to tell us about this house and the whole 'going to school' plan, they got an interior decorator in this joint and jazzed up this junk yard. It just had to be a junk yard, I know it was.

I yawned tiredly.

The kitchen was a big one.

Bigger then Anne's.

GIANT refrigerator (stocked with a BUNCH of food), GIANT pantry (again, stocked with food), Stove with built in grill and **8** burners (Iggy really liked this), PLUS, lots of counter and cabinet space.

I sound like a freaking real-estate agent, but it's true.

And the color of the kitchen?

_Green with yellow poka dots._

Just incase you didn't get the idea from the tablecloth scene.

The windows were covered with pale yellow curtains tied to the side by, you guessed it, pale green ribbons. There were three windows in this kitchen, all by the table so it shined right on you, but in a comforting way.

Wait, did I just say that??

"This kitchen just makes the world seem _so_ much brighter," I said sarcastically.

Fang choked on the milk he was sipping from his spoon.

I got up from my chair just as Iggy walked into the kitchen.

I planned on taking a nice, hot shower.

Something that didn't come very often.

I was in the hallway that led to my room, Fang's and Nudge's and Angel's, which was on the top floor (Gazzy's was on the bottom floor along with Iggy's) getting a towel when I heard Iggy say something.

"Just friggen ask her out already, you idiot." he said.

I raised my eyebrows in curiosity.

I listened in closer. Eavesdropping. Such a habit of mine.

"Maybe you can just shut up and cook your eggs, how about that?" Fang shot back.

"Jeez, I'm just saying. Like, when you guys get married, can I be the best man?"

I heard Iggy get slapped and I stifled a giggle.

I grabbed my towel and walked into the bathroom, which was _orange_.

The interior decorator was definitely into bright colors, I'll say that right now.

**Did you like it??**

**Review!**

**I tried to review for other stories, but it wouldn't let me.**

**Glitch?**

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**REVIEW WHEN IT'S BACK UP!!**

**L8er G8er!**

**Mare**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N :**

**Yippee ))**

**Loved the reviews. (thankyouthankyouthankyou)**

**Here 'ya go for the 2nd chap.**

**It's REALLLY LONG!**

Chapter 2

**Max's POV**

I let the water cascade down me, washing the sleepiness away.

Massaging shampoo in my scalp, I thought about what had happened when I was eavesdropping.

_Just friggen ask her out, dude._

It kept on running through my head.

It was obviously for some other girl that Fang must've saw when we went shopping for clothes before, or maybe while we were split up he met someone. Or, probably someone else from our school that he could have met while walking around to 'get his barrings'. (He decided to take a walk right when we got to the house. Don't ask.)

I quickly rinsed my head and rubbed in conditioner. I kept on thinking about what they could have possibly been talking about, I couldn't really focus on anything else, which meant Angel could have _totally_ been reading my mind the whole time.

I would have know it if I would have been a bit more _saner._ But, of course, I am never sane. Just _in_sane.

_**Ha. I heard every single thing.**_

I gritted my teeth.

_It's not nice to read other people's minds, _I reminded her. _Just go eat breakfast and pretend you were sleeping like you always do._

I felt her smirk.

Well, she must've sent her emotions to me to show how 'sneaky' she really was.

I rolled my eyes and grabbed my fluffy towel and wrapped it around my wet, soaking body.

Taking my change of clothes, I put them on and brushed through my hair.

I looked in the mirror and almost fell backward.

I haven't really seen my face so... so... _clean_ before.

Yeah, laugh if you want.

I walked out of the bathroom and went to the door that led to my room.

I felt like laying in my bed and letting everything sink in. I was tired from stress.

I was going to have _homework_ again. I was going to have to go through school and having no friends. I was going to have to go to just go to plain old school again.

All over.

My life was about to become 10 times worse.

---

I didn't know how long I had been sleeping.

Yes, I had fallen asleep while thinking about my future await of school.

I sat up groggily and got off my ruffled bed.

I stared at myself in the mirror for a long time.

"How am I going to fit in?" I muttered to myself, rubbing my head, which had suddenly started to hurt.

"You don't have to." someone said.

I freaking jumped 5 feet in the air.

"Don't do that!" I yelled, and Fang smirked.

"It's going to be okay." he said, and brought me into a hug.

"No it's not." I replied back, looking up at him. "It's going to be a disaster, and you know it."

He looked me in the eye and actually smiled.

"Am I truly that bad at lying?"

I smiled back, "I've known you a while. I can tell."

He hugged me tighter.

"It's going to be okay. We'll make it through."

This moment was interrupted by a squeal and the front door opening, followed by greetings of, 'how are you?' and 'We're here!'.

"They're here." I said, untangling myself from Fang's arms and heading for the door.

He stopped me before I could open it.

"Just relax a little." he said, touching the handle and pulling it open. "You'll live life much easier."

Then he walked out.

Leaving me there, thinking, _whaaa..??_

----

I headed down the stairs to greet our guests.

Let's put it at that.

"Hey!" I said as I entered the kitchen where Dr.Martinez, well, my _mom_, was sitting with Ella and Jeb.

Yeah, I still call her Dr. Martinez, deal.

Ella got up from her spot to hug me.

"I'm so glad to see you!" she exclaimed. "Come help me unpack, I need to tell you something," she said in a rushed whisper.

I nodded and lead her up the stairs.

What could she possibly want to tell me???

**Ella's POV**

This house was sooo big!

How could Jeb afford this thing?

I followed Max up the stairs, one flight, and down a hallway where she showed me her room.

It was all blue and absolutely CUTE!

(Don't tell her I said that)

I smiled.

"I love your house!"

She rolled her eyes.

"It's temporary." she grumbled.

I took my small bag and threw it on her bed. I had several more in the car outside, but this bag was the easiest (and lightest) one to carry.

I guess she was waiting for the secret to be revealed.

I took a deep breath.

"Mom and Jeb are going to tell all of you this at dinner, but you need to hear it now." I began, and she raised her eyebrows. "You guys are staying here because..." I paused.

Maybe I shouldn't tell her this.

I mean, she didn't need anymore stress, she had enough already.

But her eyes told that I had to continue NOW, or else I'm bird food.

"You're staying here because ITEX is hoping that regular school will break the Flock up again." I blurted.

"WHAT?!" she exclaimed.

Oh boy.

**Max's POV**

"WHAT?!" I exclaimed. "Why would they do that?!"

Ella took a step back.

"I don't know," she confessed. "They think the pressure will do you good."

By then, I wasn't even listening to her.

I was pacing up and down my room.

"It's a trap, they'll be Erasers and Flyboys, maybe even Omega. We need plans..." I trailed off and Ella was against the door.

Sudden fury went through me.

"Why wouldn't you guys tell me sooner?!" I yelled.

"We didn't know!" Ella rushed.

By then, I had heard enough.

I went over to the window and opened it wide.

"Be back in two hours." I said to her, and jumped out and unfurled my wings.

**Ella's POV**

I shouldn't have told her.

I watched her jump out the window, then Fang open the door.

"Did she just leave?" he asked me, heading towards the window as well.

"Yep."

How he knew about it, I had no clue at all.

He jumped out it too, and I sighed.

This was not going to be a good experience.

**Bahahahaha**

**Review so I write faster!**

**Mare**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm gonna /try/ to stop using the POV changes a lot. **

**I know it's confusing, but it really helps to know what it is like with other people's opinions.**

**Anyways, I promise that in the next chapter, this one floats from Fang to Max...**

**Oh, and btw (by the way), **

_**This font is always Angel talking in the story.**_

_This one is the Voice (Jeb)_

_This one is (usually Max's) thoughts. (depends on the POV)_

**Plain bold is always me, but I'll always have "A/N" by it so you know.**

**ANYWAYS, **

Chapter 3

**Fang's POV**

I jumped out the window, looking for Max before she killed herself. Well, more like slam into a tree on 'accident'.

I spotted her, flying slowly as if she was thinking.

I took this as an advantage.

Trying to by mysterious, I snuck up.

But, she knew I was coming.

Her face showed annoyance.

"I'm fine." she reported.

"Doesn't seem like it." I remarked, and she looked at me.

"They want the Flock split up again." she said slowly. "That means that they planned it in the first place." she turned her head to look at me. "It's not right."

She redirected her eyes down below to see the dotted houses along the landscape.

"You always known they were evil." I said quietly.

"This is too extreme." she pressed angrily. "I'm not going."

_I wish_. I thought to myself.

If we didn't go, then the Flock would be in even more danger.

She knew that.

I angled downward, hoping I would be followed.

Landing and tucking my wings in, I surveyed the area.

There were woods everywhere, stumps and trunks of cut down trees invited us to sit down.

I picked one, Max taking another about two feet away.

"We have no choice but to go." I reminded her.

She nodded her head.

"But, we don't always have to go by the rules, do we?" she smirked.

I shook my head.

What was I getting into?

**Max's POV**

I was leaning against the tree trunk, feeling angry and betrayed. I always knew they were bad, but this was just low.

"Come on, we aren't really gonna spl--"

"It's still a sensitive issue." I informed him, and stared off into space.

"Maybe we can just skip it." I said, thinking the idea through.

Fang rolled his eyes.

"They have an attendance sheet and probably people working on their side over there."

"Thanks Mr. Logical." I said sarcastically.

"Maybe it won't be that bad. And if we do split, we'd meet up again somewhere."

This stung me.

He didn't care!

I glared at him.

"Funny for a guy who just hid out for the weeks while my group actually tried to do the mission." I said coldly.

It was his idea to get the matter published, thinking that the people who destroyed the world would lend a helping hand and clean the Earth. He wanted _People_ _magazine_ to spread it around while he sat down and relaxed.

Hah. Don't think so.

He looked at me.

"What?"

"You heard me."

His expressions turned to deep anger.

"What's your problem?" He snarled, his eyes glaring at me. "You're the one who brought the enemy into the picture."

I stood up and so did he. I stared angrily into his eyes.

"You didn't just say that." I whispered, my eyes fueling with rage.

"At least I kept mine out of danger." he added, his face had fury written all over it.

My eyes widened. Okay, I get the point that he was furious and just could not keep these words from rolling off his tongue (or I hoped), but come on! This was UN-CALLED FOR!

Not even thinking, I took my fist and punched him right in the jaw. The finishing crack was a great accomplishment.

I was so ticked off, I was glad that he staggered back, holding his oh-so-precious face.

I glared at him one last time before jumping up in the air and taking off.

I used my super flying ability (sounds super cool when you say it like that) to fly home.

I got to the front door, went inside, and slammed it behind me.

I was still very mad.

"How was it?" called _Mom_.

"Perfect!" I said loudly, stomping up the stairs, my face frozen in a tight expression. It said, 'Stay away or I will hurt you'.

I got to my room, locked the door and threw myself on the bed.

_**Max... you okay?**_

Angel. She always pops in on the _perfect_ moments.

_Out of my head. NOW._

I couldn't fake that everything was okay.

I knew once at dinner everything would be silent and no one would talk.

Me and Fang's fight would evolve into everyone's fight.

Everyone would feel it.

For about the second time in my entire life, I felt hopeless.

And that my friends, is not a very good feeling.

**A/N :**

**LIKE IT??**

**Review.**

**Might have one up tomorrow.**

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**ALSO LOVE IT HOW ALL OF YOU GUYS LOVE MY STORY!!!**

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**(It also makes me feel like writing.) ;))**

**Mare (Maximum Writers)**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N :**

**Sorry about the lacks of updates.**

**It took me two days to write this chapter, and I had a great deal of tests this week, being that winter break started FRIDAY!!!**

**I'm off until Jan. 7th, so WOOPIE!!!**

**I'll update soon, and knowing me, I'll probably even update on Christmas because, well... That's MEEE PP**

**ON WITH THE (long) STORY!!!**

Chapter 4

**Max's POV**

Do you think I should be forced to dinner after the incident before? Face my new enemy at the table for the ultimate match-off??

I didn't think so.

But, I was forced (I hate mind control), and now I was sitting, staring at my plate with a great deal of interest.

"So, how was everyone's day?" Mom asked. I knew her question was pointed at me.

I didn't answer, and neither did the traitor.

"Jeez, what's wrong with you guys?" asked Iggy. "No one is fooling around or like... eating."

I rolled my eyes.

"Seriously!" he said again, needing answers.

"Be quiet." Nudge said, warning him. She obviously can take a hint (surprisingly).

Jeb glanced at me nervously.

I wouldn't let him catch my eye.

"Okay then. Anyone excited about school?" Mom tried again, and got many groans with levels of enthusiasm.

"I think it'll be fun!" Angel exclaimed, her smile was beaming. "We'll make so many new friends!!!"

She went on and on, trying to get the spot light off of me and _the enemy_.

I felt someone kick me underneath the table. I closed my eyes, irritated.

I kicked back harder and Iggy staggered back in pain.

_Nosy little a--_

I stopped myself.

Who knows who's listening?

"Come on, someone tell me about this freakin' situation! I'm not kidding!" he yelled.

Nudge started to giggle a bit, but hit her face with her hand.

"Stop laughing!" he exclaimed again, his fist on the table.

Boy he really wanted to know what was going on.

"Okay, enough!" barked Jeb, holding slips of paper and envelopes. "If you want to know what classes you're in, I suggest you shut your traps!"

Yeah, we had gotten him aggravated.

Mom looked a little worried, and Ella was staring off into space.

"Ella." Jeb snapped, and she came back to Earth.

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Right." she got up and collected the papers from his hands and passed them out.

Angel and Gazzy didn't get any.

After Ella passed them out, Mom started to explain.

"Alrighty guys. We tried to do this the easy way, but you obviously didn't think you could handle it."

Ella rolled her eyes.

"Now, since Angel is six and Gazzy is eight, they won't be attending middle school, which here goes from sixth to eighth." she paused. "The elementary school is not far from the middle school, they are right next door."

She looked at our faces before continuing, and Ella was playing around with her fork, boredly.

"Hang on. Wait a sec. We were in ninth grade at the private school that Anne sent us to before, why are we in eighth now?" Iggy asked.

"I was getting to that." she muttered. "Desersy, that's the name of the school, has extremely high academic levels, and they also have accelerated programs, great staff, wonderful learning techniques--"

"Mom! They get the point!" Ella exclaimed.

Mom stopped blabbering.

"What's wrong with her?" Gazzy whispered in my ear. I shrugged, forgetting that I was mad for a moment.

"So," Mom began again, "Max, Fang and Iggy, you are in accelerated eighth grade. Nudge, you are in regular seventh, being that you should be in sixth. We put you in seventh because you can have the same electives together with the others."

It actually kinda made sense.

The Gasman and Angel's classrooms were right next to each other in their elementary school.

And guess what!

There were no homerooms in Desersy! They thought the wasted time was pointless.

Heck, they'd probably take lunch away if it wasn't for staying there until 3 o'clock, when school was released.

By the time we actually had permission to dig into our food, it was cold as Arctic ice.

"How about pizza?" Nudge asked, holding up a cordless phone.

Everyone agreed.

While Nudge made the huge order (and changed it a million times. Poor employee.), I grabbed Ella's arm and pulled her up the stairs.

She didn't protest, thankfully, and soon was leading _me_ up there, instead of the other way around.

We reached my door, and she threw it open and collapsed on the bed.

"My mom can be such an idiot." she muttered into the throw pillow, which I had a millions of, thanks to the interior decorator.

"You mean, _our_ mom?" I said, my eyebrows raised.

She smirked at me.

"You know what I meant. She just doesn't know when to stop!"

She buried herself in the softness of the blankets.

"You don't have to take care of five kids." I said to her, and she brought her face out of the sheets to look at me for a moment.

"I didn't mean it that way..." she trailed off.

"I know." I said, smiling. "But, Mom's great. She is the best vet I know. Come on, Ella. You're life is perfect. Mine just... isn't."

She stared at me for a long time.

"What happened out there?" she asked finally.

I hated being this honest and trapped.

"Long story short? Well... We got in a giant fight."

"I know that part. The punching and yelling--"

"How?"

"Fang told me."

I squinted at her.

"Don't you think it was a little harsh, though? I mean, all he was doing was offering advice."

I held my head in my hands.

"Ella." I said, and she stopped blabbing. "I'm not feeling well right now, so I'm gonna lay down."

I grabbed her hand and pulled her off the bed, and lead her outside my bedroom and closed the door.

She pounded on the door.

"Max? What did I do?"

I didn't answer.

Stupid me. I'm going to be the reason why the Flock splits up again. I closed my eyes for a long time, listening to Ella's pounding and yells.

I grabbed my backpack with out another thought and began to pack up some stuff.

More pounding.

More yelling.

Footsteps.

Voices.

Talking.

I ignored all of it.

"MAX! OPEN THE FREAKIN' DOOR!" yelled a familiar voice. I didn't move, afraid of what was going to happen next.

Heck, I'm _Maximum Ride_.

What did I have to be afraid of?

There are a lot of things.

I got a boost of courage and zipped up the backpack, and started on fixing up the bed.

The pounding had ceased, and all that remained was whispers.

I took the pillows and threw them on the bed. I mean, they are _throw_ pillows!

I heard a knock on the window.

Can't they ever leave me alone?

I didn't look, but I made my way over and closed the shade.

I heard a sigh of exasperation.

Then my door open.

The lock so needs to be fixed.

_I HATE THAT DOOR!_ I yelled in my head.

I was still near the window.

I grabbed the shade, pulled it up.

Prying at the window openers, I managed to unfasten the bolt and throw it open.

I curled into a tight ball and threw myself out of the space.

I heard more shrieks and shouts.

I didn't want to unfurl my wings, I just wanted to fall.

I felt the deafening 'woosh' of the wind screaming in my ears, and my hair was flying behind me.

I heard someone down below. I must have imagined it.

Getting ready for the huge impact the ground could hold, I tensed up.

But instead, I landed into soft arms.

Fang had caught me from falling to death for the second time.

**AN :**

**Like it??**

**I loved writing it!!!**

**Review please, I bet it was confusing.**

**I'm not good with fights, and Hayl knows about that.**

**PP**

**REVIEW PLEASE!!!**

**mArE**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN :**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! (Or to the people who celebrate it.)**

**As a present, for whatever you celebrate (might be late or early, and if you don't celebrate anything, TO THE NEW YEAR!!!)**

**It is seven pages long on the word document, without the author's note.**

**This chapter may be a little dramatic, but I really like how the story is turning out. I have so many ideas!**

Chapter 5

**Max's POV**

"What's your problem?!" Fang screamed at me.

I had just jumped out of a two-story window, and he had caught me from down below.

I've never seen him this mad before.

I started on trying to get out of his firm grip, and he noticed.

"I can't stand you!" he yelled. "Your so dramatic! You can never take a break and be normal for once! Come on Max! This is more like a vacation! Live a little!!!"

His voice was rising.

"You know what?" he said, "You shou-- Ugh, why do I even bother?"

He threw me on the ground, his eyes showed how angry he was.

I couldn't look up at him anymore. I picked myself up and started to run away.

My legs were still wobbly from the fall, and I fell flat on my face. I had smeared dirt all over me, and my face was streaked with tears.

From far away, I heard the flock come out the door.

"Where'd she go?!" Nudge cried out.

Iggy somehow knew.

"You're such a fu-- idiot!" Iggy said to Fang, and I heard a hard slap on the face.

I forced myself to get up and continue to run.

And run.

Run, run, RUN.

_Faster, faster... FASTER!_

I screamed at myself when my muscles seemed to fail.

I fell again, but this time I heard running behind me.

I was face-plant into the dirt, and I panicked.

I couldn't move.

_Max, just stay put._

I ignored him completely.

I was losing consciousness.

I began to feel really dizzy.

Who was behind me?

Soon the running footsteps stopped and I heard hard breathing.

"Max?"

I felt tears come to my eyes all over again.

The dizziness increased, and I tried to lift my head up.

No use.

I realized why I couldn't move.

_I'm not BREATHING!_, I yelled at myself.

I gulped for air.

It helped.

"Max!" Fang shouted.

It was too late.

There was no use trying to make an escape now.

Dazed, I plopped my head right back into the soil.

I heard him come closer.

"Get away from me." I said, picking my face out of the ground and turning it away from him.

I didn't hear any shuffling, so I knew he was still there.

"I'm sorry." he whispered.

"I don't care!" I screamed at him, and I looked him in the eyes. I had dirt and sweat, mixed with tears, all over my face and I didn't need any more shit from him that I already had received.

"Look, I said that I'm sorry and this is what I get?!"

"Oh, hmm... you must've forgotten about your episode outside just twenty minutes ago!" I bellowed, my voice and eyes pierced with anger. "So before you get all mad at me, think about your self, since it's all you ever freaking do!!!"

He turned his head away.

What I said hurt, but now he knew how I felt.

He didn't say anything for a very long time.

I took this as an advantage and started to wipe the guck all off my face.

"I didn't run five miles to get dissed like this." he spat at me.

"Excuse me?"

"You ran five miles, Max." he turned to face me. "I ran all the way out here--"

"You could have flew." I said to him, ignoring the pity he was trying to make me feel.

He went silent.

"You weren't going to honestly kill yourself, were you?" he said quietly, staring at the grass.

"Like you would care." I huffed angrily.

He seemed a little shocked.

He placed his hand on my neck but I shook it off.

"Do you seriously think that?" he asked me, incredulous.

I rubbed my head in frustration. I heard a low rumble and saw lightning strike the sky. Great.

He shook his head slowly.

"If you really think that..." he began.

But I was already on my feet.

"It's gonna rain." I said quietly, walking forward.

There were woods ahead and we couldn't fly to get to them. The clouds looked deadly and threatened us to get through them alive.

I cleared my thoughts for a bit before walking onward.

I noticed I was limping slightly.

My ankle hurt a bit, but I was not backing off now.

Fang laid another hand on my shoulder.

He was really trying, wasn't he?

"You're limping. Sit down."

I kept on going.

"Max..." he warned.

_Tune him out, tune him out..._

_Big storm up ahead. Tropical activity. Find shelter with Fang._

_You obviously haven't heard what he said to me. _ I thought angrily back to Jeb.

_We all did. Didn't you hear that slap back there? Iggy got so mad he lost it straight across Fang's face._

I tried not to think about it.

I was mad, I didn't want to feel sympathy for Fang. What he said really hurt.

While this whole thing was going on, he was trying to talk me into sitting.

By the time I was actually back to Earth and my hearing was focused, he was storming off.

He looked pretty pissed.

"I tried! Are you happy?!" he yelled at no one, just the surrounding air.

Then, it started to pour.

"FANTASTIC!" he shouted, taking tree bark and throwing it everywhere.

I squinted at him.

When did he become this monster???

"FANG!" I yelled, frantic for a moment.

It was too late.

He picked up a metal bar and held it up to the sky.

"Go ahead, strike me!" he bellowed.

I had no choice but to tackle him to the ground.

"Are you out of your mind?!" I screamed at him.

I slapped him. "Snap the hell out of it, we need to find shelter you stupid ass!"

He became his normal self, silent and focused.

We kept on walking, and with every step, my ankle got even more uncomfortable.

Eventually I fell for the hundredth time.

Fang just went on walking.

_What's his problem?_ I thought.

I leaned against a tree for a while.

I couldn't continue on, it was throbbing.

_I don't need his help,_ I thought grimly. _It's not raining here, and all I need is to light some wood to make a fire._

I never got to that point.

I fell right asleep, tired and aching from my runaway.

---

I woke up to rain. Surprise there.

There was no Fang at all.

He must've walked on.

I looked around the environment for anything that would help me walk. I needed to get back to the house.

I felt hot breath on my cheek and screamed _bloody murder_. I heard a chuckle and knew who it was immediately.

"That wasn't funny." I said, and I wasn't joking.

He offered his hand but I found a stick instead.

I was still furious.

"Thanks for... saving me out there." he said quietly.

I blinked.

Then took a deep breath.

"You really scared me." I said finally. "You could have killed yourself."

He didn't look at me.

"Everyone thought what I did was stupid, and it was. But..."

He bit his lip and closed his mouth.

I walked on with the stick enclosed in my right hand, the rain sickly cold.

I shivered.

My ankle was going numb.

I sat down on a rock and pulled up my pants leg to see how it looked.

It was repulsive.

"Ok... that's really bad." Fang said softly, his finger leaning in to touch it.

"Don't!" I said and he pulled it back.

I grabbed the stick and started to get ready to move.

"No, you can't walk." Fang said to me.

He picked me up, bridal style.

"Fang, please let me walk." I said, drowsily.

But my eyes closed almost instantly.

I heard a distant, "It's okay." before I passed out into deep slumber.

Ten minutes later, I moaned.

"What's wrong?" Fang asked.

I felt sick.

I rubbed my head.

"I don't feel well." I said quietly.

He felt my forehead.

"Jeez, you're burning."

He laid me down on a rock and tried to help me relax.

"We need to get back to the house," I croaked. "I need... I need..."

Then I drifted off.

"Max? Max!" I heard Fang distantly say, but it was too late.

I had already passed out, unconscious, sick with such an illness that if not treated soon, I could die.

**AN :**

**Like it???**

**Please review, it makes me so much more happier, and adds to my holiday cheer!!!**

**Thanks for sticking with this story, since it's chapter 5 and all.**

**Usually I loose a lot of fans and such.**

**REVIEW BEFORE I BORE YOU TO DEATH!!**

**:P**

**Happy Holidays! Mare AND Hayl**


	6. Chapter 6

**YAYY!!!**

**Okay, for all of you guys out there, the fight between Max and Fang is still going on, just, you know, he can't leave her **_**dying**_** out there!**

**Here's the next chap.**

**(DRAMA!!!)**

Chapter 6

**Fang's POV**

Max's ankle really haunted me, it was blue and purple and just... ick.

I went to go touch it my finger extended, I needed to see if it was broken.

"Don't!" she cried, and I pulled my finger back while she rolled her jeans back down.

She tried to grab the stick to continue our journey to the house, but I came to Earth.

"No, you can't walk." I said, picking her up.

She seemed to tense up a bit.

"Please let me..." I couldn't hear the rest, her voice became drowsy and she immediately fell asleep.

I had a feeling it wasn't a good thing.

I walked on in the direction of the house, thanks to that special feeling us Avian-Americans have.

Ten minutes she was sleeping, then her eyes popped open, they were red and puffy in the bad way.

She moaned.

_Oh no._ I thought.

"What's wrong?" I asked, noticing she was getting paler and paler by the second (literally).

She rubbed her head.

"I don't feel well."

Her voice came out as if her throat had collapsed.

I put my head on her forehead.

"Jeez!" I said, taking my hand away. "Your burning!"

I found a large, nearby rock and laid her down on it.

"We have to get back to the house." she croaked. "I need... I need..."

Then her eyes fluttered closed.

"Max?" I asked, unsure if she just fell asleep.

_She's unconscious!_ I thought, _This cannot be good._

"Max!" I said, trying to get her attention.

She didn't respond.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

I pounded on the door of our 'house' when I arrived there.

It took me twenty minutes to get here and I was afraid I was too late. Max had been unconscious the whole time, and her fever had gone up dramatically.

There wasn't an answer at first, so I knocked harder.

Dr. Martinez opened it, and gasped when she saw her daughter in my arms, almost dead.

I brought her over to the couch and laid her down.

"How long had she been like this?" she asked me, feeling her head and jumping back, surprised.

"Ella!" she yelled, hoping that she voice would travel all the way up the long flight of stairs.

"She passed out a while ago," I said, answering her question. "I have a feeling it's... it's..." I remembered her ankle and started to inspect it.

I turned it around until I found what I had been looking for. A three-inch gash across her foot that was puffed and raw.

"She has an infection." I stated quietly.

Just then, Ella came down stairs in her pajamas and saw Max.

"Holy crap!" she whispered, looking at Max's face which was drained to ghostly white. "What did you do to her?!" she screamed.

I stepped back while Dr. Martinez held Ella down.

"Her fever is high," I heard her report to Ella. "Very high. If we don't get it down quick enough, she will die. The fever can damage brain tissue, remember?" she questioned Ella.

She nodded, understanding her Mom's instructions, and glared at me while heading to the freezer to take ice and pack them into ziploc bags.

Then Dr. Martinez, with her eyes glazed with fear, came to study Max's ankle.

"She sprained it bad," she began, noting things to herself, "Bad infection, bad fever... This is not good."

Her eyes turned to me.

"I want to tell you this first." she said quietly. "There is a 10 chance that she would live."

"Out of a hundred?" I asked, incredulous.

She nodded her head.

"And that's just an estimation."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"So it can be higher."

She shook her head, sadly.

"This is the most possible percent I could come up with. Fang, it's probably lower, and worse. I don't have my doctor supplies with me and it's going to be really hard to... to..."

My eyes were flashing.

"No, she can't die, she won't die!"

She only bit her lip.

"Sorry, Fang. I really am. She is my daughter, too you know."

I just marched up the stairs, feeling the pain.

Young Angel came out and hugged me, her face stained with salty tears.

"She's unresponsive." she whispered, blue eyes as big as saucers.

"It's going to be okay, Ange."

Her body shook with sobs.

"No it's not!"

Running into her room, she slammed the door causing Nudge to awake.

"Huh?" I heard her say inside the space that they shared.

I had enough.

I went into my own room, still mad.

Not at myself.

At Max.

_If only she relaxed... if only she could take things the right way, if only..._

_**It's not her fault!**_, Angel screamed in my head. _**It's YOURS!**_

The world stopped for a minute, and I came to a realization.

If she died, I would be held responsible.

It was my fault.

I held my head in my hands.

I stared out the window at the storm.

She would not die, she can't.

I headed back down the flight of stairs to help out.

There was no way the leader of this Flock was going.

No way at all.

Completely impossible.

Jeb was there, taking ziploc bags filled with ice and placing the around the couch to bring down the fever.

"It's not working!" Dr. Martinez shouted, feeling Max's forehead again.

I went to work by helping arrange the ice packs around.

This went on for three hours.

Eventually, it went down.

But everyone gave up, the three went off crying to the guest room.

I kept moving, I kept making sure she lived.

It was 5 am when her eyes opened, five am when she officially came back to herself.

She gasped for breath and surveyed her surrounding area.

She couldn't talk, and the ice around her was melted and freezing, the couch soaked with the melted water.

Her dazed eyes made me feel so much better.

"Are you okay?"

She nodded her head slowly, then opened her mouth and closed it.

Angel slowly walked down the stairs, her nightgown following behind her.

"Max?" she whispered, shocked. "You can't be living... you were almost dead... how?"

She shrugged.

Then the door was kicked down.

"DON'T MOVE, WE'LL SHOOT!" someone yelled, their voice rough and daring us to move.

The imposters walked in, guns pointed at us, me, Angel and Max who had no clue what was going on.

"Where's the girl?" one demanded.

"Which?" I asked in a cold and deadly tone, holding Angel tight against my side.

The man glared viciously at me.

"Martinez. Thirteen."

"Never heard of her." I said, my facial expressions not flinching a bit.

"Now get out of our house." I said, eyes blazing.

He pointed his gun at me.

"Tell me where she is."

"You know," I said, approaching the guy. "We are a pretty tough batch of kids. Mess with us for any reason, we'll knock you down, flat on your back."

My voice was cold and harsh.

He loaded the gun and tightened his finger around the trigger.

"Kill me." I challenged him. "We have no idea who the person you are talking about is."

The intruder gave me the daggers.

"Fang, don't!" Angel yelled suddenly.

I held my hand up to her, then turned my face back to the gang of guys.

"Get out, now before I call the police." I said, taking a phone from a nearby table.

"You have three seconds."

"One." I said, dialing the '9'.

"Two." I said, and the guys started to back up, while I pressed the '1'.

They were out of there when I began with the last number.

Max looked up at me, her eyes clearing.

"I know who they were."

I looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"They're... they're the guys I saved Ella from when we went to save Angel."

Eyes widening, I put the phone down.

They recognized Max.

They were coming back, and I knew that for a simple fact.

**SUSPENSE!!!**

**Review please, and tell me what to do next.**

**I'm not sure what to do, so tell me what YOU want.**

**If we can get up to 30 reviews, I'll make the next chapter EXTRA long!**

**(If we don't get up to there, then short-ish chap., because I need ideas.)**

**Review people!**

**-Mare**

**Maximum Writers.**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

**Max's POV**

Okay, the visit of the guys really freaked me and Fang out a little. Alright, fine, _a lot_.

So much, we were back to not talking _at all. _I was laying down in my bed, swarms of throw pillows and spare blankets surrounded my head and everywhere else. I had so many things I could be talking about, but instead it was always brought back to _this._

I forced myself to be distracted, thinking of the newest crisis : We started school in a week.

A _week_.

The whole 'school information plan' was disabled, and no one would talk about it. Heck, no one would talk to _me_, besides Angel or Nudge when she had noting better to do. The only news I was allowed to hear was that we were taking a tour of both schools tomorrow.

TOMORROW!

Pulling the sheets up more, I turned to my side.

I no longer had the horrible fever that I almost died from. I would not believe what they told me about what I had endured.

I could not die from a freaking _fever._ I was just unresponsive, that's all.

_Keep telling yourself that. Dinner in ten, Angel bringing your food in fifteen._

I exited out of my 'thinking mode' and returned my glaze to the window, completely ignoring Jeb's notice.

I knew what he meant of course.

He wanted me to pull myself together and change into proper 'Max' clothes so Ange wouldn't worry. I wasn't budging.

There was a knock on the door and Angel came in.

"Big news," she said, grinning. "Come outside, it's amazing!"

She pulled my out of bed and led me down the stairs. Taking me out into the yard, she pointed to something that I couldn't believe was there.

I gasped.

It couldn't be.

**Short chapter.**

**Review, I know I said I would make it long but I have to go.**

**I'll post a new one n like two to three hours, don't worry.**

**-Mare**


	8. Chapter 8

**Okay, starting off,**

**Maximum ride forever,**

**THANK YOU for the feedback. I'm going to use your ideas, but not yet. They have to go to school, I have some good ideas. They'll jump out of there once they figure out about... I can't say. Too much info.**

**Amethyst-Violet,**

**AHH!!! You reviewed a lot of chapters all in one day! I know you're confused. I am too. I just don't know what I'm confused about. You might not get it. My way of thinking is really weird and hard to understand. (This paragraph is a GREAT example.)**

**All my other reviewers -**

**THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU. We got to 34 reviews, which means long chapter. **

**If you don't understand this one... I get it.**

**Disclaimer-**

**Don't own anything 'cept plot and NOW my OC. Don't copy. Ask before if you want to use him. I don't mind :)**

**ANNNDDDD... here we go.**

Chapter 8

**Max's POV**

Angel pointed to the place that she came to show me.

I gaped at the sight.

Someone had come across the yard and wrote a word in the grass with a big stick or something.

"I don't know what the word is, but isn't it cool?"

Disbelief took over my body, leaving me speechless. _No, it can't be... I haven't seen him in __years_

I shook my head, trying to think.

"What?" she asked, alarmed.

I held my hand up.

I needed to brainstorm big time.

I got on my knees to see if the letters were about an inch thick. That means that the person wasn't in a rush. That meant that they had time. They were pretty deep, and I breathed in, feeling nervousness take over me.

I felt the soil too.

Still damp. That meant that the writer only created this thing a few minutes ago with the Floridian heat.

I stared at the word one more time.

Only one person knew what it meant. It was our code word. Whenever we needed help. An old friend, one I had met at the school. When we were about to escape.

_Flashback._

_Jeb walked over to my cage._

"_Max, give me a few minutes, I'll have you and the others out in no time."_

_My ten year-old self nodded._

_The person in the cage next to mine turned to face me._

"_You're getting out?!" he said, whispering._

_I nodded. Cript, that was his name, looked sadly into my eyes._

"_What if I can't get out?" he whispered silently._

_Cript was my best friend, we were often tested in the same categories at this dreadful school._

_I couldn't believe I was going to be out of this place, and leave Cript behind. _

"_Remember the word." I said quickly, aware the footsteps of Jeb's lab shoes coming up to my crate. "I'll come back for you."_

_End flashback._

My eyes widened.

After Jeb had taken us... I never got the chance to see Cript again.

"Why is it amazing?" I asked her, my eyes still flashing from the memory.

She pointed to flowers just by the exclamation point that was added by the end of the word. I picked them up, and read the card.

_-C _

I closed my eyes for a long time.

"Who did it?" she asked, longing to read my mind, which I had blocked.

I felt unsecure.

"I'm not sure." I lied, studying the card to hide the fact that I wasn't telling the truth.

Glaring at me suspiciously, she walked back into the house.

I took one last look at the word, then walked back inside as well.

It still haunted me.

That unique signal of help.

I glanced one more time out the siding glass door window, the word _amity_ popping out of the grass.

The danger was pointed at my Flock and I, along with Cript himself.

x-x-x-x-x

I was silent all throughout dinner.

Yes, I had decided to come down and eat at the table.

There was only the sound of forks scratching against plates and the munching of food.

"What does amity mean?" Angel asked suddenly.

I put my hand to my head and rolled my eyes.

"What?" Angel asked me.

"Nothing." I said, sighing. "I'm going back upstairs. I'll be back in a bit."

I climbed the stairs quickly.

The word always gave me the chills.

"What did I do?!" I heard Angel exclaim at the table. Obviously they were staring at her.

I opened my door and went straight to the window, stepped out and ascended up to the roof.

It's not an easy task, I'll tell you that.

But I got to the place I was looking for.

Balancing, I stood up and looked around for Cript's figure.

"Boo." I heard someone say behind me, and I knew the voice.

I faced the brown-haired boy, smiling.

His eyes were greener then ever, and freckles lined his face. Cript.

"I got out!" he said happily to me, "I'm free!"

I laughed a little. Now for the real deal. I was jumping to the important part, the part I _needed_ to know.

"What was up with the code word?" I asked as silently as I could.

His face fell and he grimaced.

"I overheard the scientists." he began. "They want to terminate you... they want you dead at any cost. They said you were useless and weak."

That's one thing I liked about Cript, he always was honest and could jump right into serious mode.

I bit my lip.

"They've been saying that for a while now."

"No, Max, this is extreme. They have poisons, flyboys all arranged. Erasers _and _guns. Lots of guns. I remember two full rooms of 'em."

I held my head in my hands.

"We're in trouble."

"Well... technically _you_ are, but I am too. They want me back."

I smiled a bit.

"Where are you staying?"

"Woods." he pointed. "I'll be here for a while. I'll send you words to warn you."

I thanked him and descended back into my window.

I was freaked out. But now I knew to watch out more and be careful.

Someone knocked on my door.

"Hmm?" I said, meaning, '_come in if you really want to'_.

Nudge walked in.

"Did you see the word outside? You know, the one that's really deep in the dirt and is noticeable from up in the air? I tried it! It's so cool! Like if we had admirers!"

_Or stalkers,_ I thought.

"Im gonna write my own words in the lawn, it's going to be so awesome!"

She ran out.

_Wow._ I thought again. _She doesn't even need a second opinion, just someone to listen to what she says._

_**If they can comprehend it all,**_ Angel added, and I suppressed a grin.

x-x-x-x-x

I woke up to the sound (and smell) of Iggy's cooking.

I licked my lips.

I hadn't really eaten anything last night because of my worry about Cript.

Now I was starved.

I paused at the stairs when I heard Fang's voice.

"I met someone," he said to Iggy. "She's nice and sweet. No incredibly stupid and stuff. She goes to the same school."

"Awesome." Iggy commented sarcastically.

"What?" Fang asked, sounding clueless. "She is!"

"Yeah, but I thought you were into Max."

He was silent.

"Forget about her." he said finally, sounding angry. "She almost gave me a heart attack and I don't want to be around her."

Iggy went quiet.

"Well you can say that to her face, buddy, because I'm not backing you up. You asked for what you got, and you'll take it and deal." He finished the eggs and started to round up the kids.

I ran back to my room, feeling empty and betrayed.

The main reason?

The School's plan was working.

**Hmm??? You're done?**

**If you just completed that chapter, then you obviously understand stuff WELL or felt like skimming through it.**

'**Kay, so tell me if I should 'disable' my OC (Max and Cript won't go out, don't worry. Unless you want them to...) And, just to let you know, Max and Fang are STILL mad! Talk about stubborn.**

**I really need feedback. Tell me if I'm going too far.**

**(Okay, I already know that, but like REALLY far.)**

**hah.**

**Now review!**

**I don't wanna set up a goal review number because it's not fair to the one's who DO review, I'm nice in that sort of way.**

**Just review, Okay? Okay! **

**:D**

**-Mare**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, I got a lot of feedback.**

**Alex-kicks-ass -**

**That was a long review! But I like your ideas, and I thought of that. I think it is going to happen, but I'm not saying anything, I don't want to ruin surprises!**

**Therealme1123 -**

**Your name rhymes! **

**Anyways, I'm moving the story faster now, so try to keep up, and tell me if I'm going **_**too**_** fast. The fast streak starts in this chapter, so feedback is needed!**

**Other reviewers -**

**Thanks! **

**When winter break is over (Jan. 7th) I won't be updating so frequently, heck I have so much spanish homework I barely have time for other subjects, so yeah... try to get me to update NOW as much as you can!**

**The people who read my **_**hard**_** word but DON'T review - **

**Shame!**

**Review, it takes a lot of effort and time to write all this stuff!!!**

**Anyways, here is Chapter 9...**

Chapter 9

**Max's POV**

"_Forget about her." he said angrily._

_I ran back to my room, feeling empty and betrayed._

_The main reason?_

_The School's plan was working._

I was not going to think about what I had just heard. No, I wouldn't. Nuh-uh.

Today was the tours of the schools. I refused to bring down my mood just because of that jerk's attitude.

I dug down deep into my drawers in my room. Yes, the people from Itex that supported this stupid school plan bought clothes for us and put them in the bedroom sets. It's like they want us to be spoiled!

Finding a pair of jeans, I threw them on.

I went to another drawer and searched for a shirt that wasn't too girly but not torn or too... I don't know. First impressions are important. What am I kidding? I just wanted something that they would like so I wouldn't be the hated kid of the year.

I couldn't find one that said, 'I'm the one you're looking for!', so I found a light-green tank top that covered my wings perfectly, and tested it out. You couldn't even see the imprints! I looked like a regular person, as far as mutated freaks go.

Then there sparked a new problem : My hair was a rat's nest. And I had just brushed it a minute ago! I combed it through, making sure it was even on both sides.

Since when was I concerned about all of this stuff??

I shook my head, but continued to perk around with it until I gave up. After being on the run for so long, it kinda just goes where ever it wishes.

I fixed my room up a bit, feeling so much better.

And I didn't even know why I needed too.

I really didn't want to go down the stairs, but I was _still _starving.

_If I don't go down, _I thought logically, _They'll suspect something._

I opened the door and made myself go down the stairs.

_One step, two step, three step, four, these are the steps, just how many more?_

Ah, rhyming. How it comforted me.

I made my way to the bottom and walked to the table, where Fang was _mysteriously_ missing.

Whatever, I really and honestly didn't care.

I grabbed some of the eggs that Iggy cooked up and sat down with the rest of the Flock.

"I'm telling you, if you wear the neon orange shirt, it'll look stupid!" Angel exclaimed at Nudge.

"But I want to stick out!" she said back.

"You already stick out!" Angel said back, "This'll just bring _more_ attention!"

"Oh, come on! It won't be that bad!"

She just shrugged.

"Whatever, Nudge."

"Well, good morning to you guys, too." I said, eyebrows raised.

"She wants to wear a _neon_ orange shirt! She should just dye her hair green, it'll match perfectly!" Angel said to me, trying to explain why I should back her up.

"She would look like a troll." Iggy said, listening to the whole conversation. The Gasman was playing around with his food.

I tapped him to make him stop.

"I want to wear the shirt!" Nudge said, turning the attention back to the crisis.

"You don't even _have _the shirt!" Gazzy said, sticking up for Angel.

"Huh?" I said, confused.

"She doesn't have the shirt. Angel does." Iggy explained.

Oh.

"Okay, Nudge, find something else to wear." I said, solving the conflict. "Angel, stop pestering her and eat you food." She hadn't even touched it.

They said a few okays and turned back to eating.

This didn't last long.

"Did anyone see the word out in the yard?" Fang asked, looking at the Gasman and Nudge, avoiding me. (I was in the middle).

Nudge nodded, Gazzy shook his head.

"It says 'liberate'" Fang continued.

_God Cript, can't you just shut up for a few minutes?_, I thought, blocking Angel out of my mind, of course.

Nudge, the Gasman and Angel got up to look at it. Only Iggy stayed.

"You know he's avoiding you, right?" he said, getting up from his chair to clean his plate.

"Naw, Iggy he's just not talking to me because he feels like it. Of course I know!"

He chuckled.

"Good luck with your classes. I think you have like... all of them together."

Fantastic.

I went upstairs to get myself furtherly ready.

x-x-x-x-x-x

We were at Angel and Gazzy's school, an administrator showing us around the campus.

"Welcome to Enlightenment Elementary school. I'm Mrs. Frood, the guidance counselor. You're here for a great tour. Let's start with the cafeteria, shall we?"

Okay. It's a Monday, school is in session, and we have to tour around in this prison chamber.

But I have to say, it is really nice.

Well, as far as school's go, this one didn't have broken chairs with writing on them or spit balls on the walls of the hallways, or even gum in the water fountains. (Big surprise there)

The cafeteria was... large. Not small but not huge. There was a lunch line, and several tables.

We walked to the library, bus line, car line, bike racks... lalalala I was getting bored.

"There are no uniforms in this school, however tank tops," the lady looked at me, "are strictly un-allowed."

I brushed her glare off like it was nothing. It's not like this was _my_ school.

"This is... Chase's room." she said, pointing to a blue door with the numbers '149' on it. I looked at Gazzy, and seemed surprised. Chase? What was up with that?

"And this is Ariel's." She smiled sweetly at her.

Then it vanished. "School starts at eight, and you guy's begin school tomor--"

"Next Monday." Angel said in a creepy voice, interrupting her.

Her eyes were blank for a moment.

"Er... I mean next Monday." she corrected herself, still looking confused. "You can go now."

We, like, ran out of there.

"That person creeped me out." Angel said, climbing into her seat.

We got into the car that Jeb was driving. It was big, so it could fit all of us in it.

"Next stop, Desersy." Jeb said, starting the vehicle and buckling up his seat belt.

-x-x-x-

We were in the office of Desersy, which was not all that comforting as the Elementary school. The chairs felt like rocks and it had to be 20 degrees in here.

Two girls walked into the office.

The receptionist, the lady that answered the phone and glared at you just because you ask her a question, called them up to the desk.

"We're the peer counselors," one of them said.

"Badges?" she barked, and they held them out.

Nodding, she let them come to us.

"We're going to show you around the school." one said, sounding perky.

"I'm Abbie and this is Nikki. Can we see your schedules?" I handed mine and Nudge, Iggy and Fang did the same.

"Will you be coming with us as well?" Nikki asked Jeb, Mom, Ella, Angel and Gazzy. They shook their heads.

"We'll be in the car!" they called as we started to walk.

"Let's start with Tiffany." one said, getting to business.

We went around to Nudge's six classrooms (walking, walk, walk.. turn, walk.. ughh) and then it was our turn.

"You're all in the same classes except... James." Abbie said, studying the schedules.

"Hmm... and you are all," she pointed to us _four_, including Nudge, "in peer counseling."

She seemed a bit puzzled but continued the tour.

Then the bell rang.

"Okay, you guys get against the wall." Nikki said, and Nudge pulled Iggy back.

It went on and on... like it would never end.

Finally we got to the restrictions and stuff. Joy.

"Here at Desersy, it is not a uniformed school."

I raised my eyebrows.

That was unexpected.

"There is no gum chewing, no running, no note-passing, all that stuff." Nikki nudged Abbie, telling her not to skip anything. "Oh, come on, Nikki, they're bored already. You can wear tank tops, too, just as long as they aren't spaghetti straps."

"Anything else?" Nikki asked, meaning, _'any questions since Abbie skipped half of the rules?'_.

We shook our heads, Iggy didn't know what was going on.

"You okay?" Abbie asked him.

"Yeah, I'm blind, that's all."

I expected her to giggle or whisper to Nikki or even laugh out loud. Nope. She didn't even have any sorrow in her eyes. The sadness people feel towards others really makes it worse, and she must've known that.

"Then you'll really like Desersy." Abbie said, smiling. "The teachers are great. Just watch out for Wertfor. She's tough."

Nikki nodded her head, agreeing with her friend's statement. "Be careful around her."

Then it was over.

We walked out to the parking lot that had Jeb's car in it.

"I thought it would never end." Nudge said, "I'm starving!"

I laughed a little.

She was always hungry.

**Yayyy!**

**Like it?**

**Review!**

**And again, too all of thoughs who don't review, **

**Please, please please!!! **

**Hah.**

**Next chapter coming... soon... I hope.**

**:P**

**-Mare**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N :**

**I know, I haven't updated in FOREVER. Yeah, okay.**

**I'm just giving a quick warning about this chapter... It's kinda girly I guess. Don't worry, I needed to get this scene done for what I'm planning next... muahahaha.**

**Jo-Jo33 -**

**Don't know yett... You'll just have to see ;)**

**Maximum ride forever -**

**I'm getting them back together, I promise. Next chapter. Promise. And for Cript... you'll see what happens. You'll like it. I hope, anyway.**

**Blondie -**

**Thanks. I have no clue how I came up with the name. And I think I like your ideas, since mostly everyone wants it to happen too.**

**Makmay04 -**

**Haha I found your review very funny. Yee... okay here is the next chapter.**

**I PROMISE TO GET THEM BACK TOGETHER IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!**

**And I promise not to have Max all... shoppy-and-going-along-with-it either.**

**I'm really underestimating this chapter if you can tell.  
**

Chapter 10

**Max's POV**

So we had a week before we started school.

I really didn't like the idea, and trust me, I did everything possible to get out of it. I even tried to get Mom, Jeb and Ella out of here early!

After a lot of suggestive dates and ideas, they were leaving tomorrow.

They warned me about Itex's plan and how if we didn't go along with it, we'd be dead in an instant. They wouldn't give me any details on the whole 'dead' thing, considering what I did after Ella told me about the secret and all.

I was helping Angel pick out an outfit for her first day of school. I know it's only Tuesday and school begins on Monday, but still. She insisted.

"How about this one?" Angel asked, holding up a brown shirt that had hearts all around it.

"Looks cute." I said, almost gagging on my words. I never used 'cute'. Ever. This house was really damaging my personality big time.

She hung it up by her jean capris that she had picked out with flourish.

"Now for excessories!" she exclaimed, leading me to a jewelry box that was filled with necklaces.

Excessories?

She tried on a million of them, making me judge them from one to ten. I was so going to kill Nudge for turning her into a fashionista.

Finally she picked a bracelet with pink beads. For a necklace, she found a brown choker with wings hanging down.

"Yay!" She exclaimed, hugging me tight. "Now I have a full outfit, it's time for you."

I raised one eyebrow.

"Huh?"

She just giggled.

"We're gonna take you shopping!"

_Oh God no,_ I thought.

"No way." I said, clutching the door knob.

She just smiled again.

"Nudge!" she yelled, sending the door opening and hitting my head.

"Ow!" I muttered, while Nudge's face appeared in the doorway.

"Can we? Is the plan snapped into place? Like a mouse trap with a big hunk of cheese?" Nudge asked eagerly, her eyes full of joy.

Angel gestured to me.

_Crap, _I thought, _Here comes the bambi eyes._

And, **BAM**.

I fell for it.

-x-x-x-x-x-

**3rd Person POV**

Max, Ella, Angel and Nudge entered the outlet mall, after Max's great protests, she finally agreed as long as the shopping experience was open and spacious.

Dr. Martinez had driven the girls there, and convinced Max the most by telling her how she was going to be cleaning the whole rest of the day and Max would be forced to help.

Let's just say Max practically jumped in the car. Cleaning stuff with the antiseptic and the School's smells... not her thing.

Yeah, little did she know that the outlet malls in Florida, they are crowded as ever.

"This is torture." Max muttered underneath her breath, following Nudge and Angel into every freaking' store that had their size.

Ella was having a great time, tagging along with the girls and forcing Max to join in the fun.

"We'll go to a store with your size next," Ella reassured.

"Oh, that just makes me feel so much better, Ella, thanks." she said, sarcastically.

"Hey! Angel! I saw that shirt first!" Nudge exclaimed, running after the six year-old in the store. This bumped them out of their talking.

The sisters exchanged glances before breaking the girls apart and running out of the store before the manager could give them a lecture on how they should be with a parent and yada, yada, yada.

They walked into another store, this one having the stuff Max was _suppose_ to be into.

"Ohmygosh!" Nudge said, her eyes taking everything in and rushing into the racks. "You.Have.To.Try.This.On."

Ella nodded, agreeing with the eleven year old.

Max shook her head, but knew she was already doomed.

-x-x-x-x-

**Max's POV**

They set me up with a jacket, sweatpants, three t-shirts, two pairs of jeans, four tank tops (without spaghetti straps), a necklace and two hoodies.

And, sadly, they all fit.

"Wait 'till we get to the makeup!" Nudge announced, dragging me into another clothing store.

They picked out more 'me' clothes that I kinda agreed with. Nah, not really.

So_ they_ chose another pair of jeans, FIVE more t-shirts, another hoodie, and some long-sleeved clothes that were for the winter. There was only one item that I didn't like at all, but I just _had_ to get it (according to Nudge). It was for 'date purposes'. Hah.

Notice the 'they' in the last paragraph. They would not let me choose _anything_. Nothing. Everything 'destroyed' and 'messed-up' my '_natural beauty_'. Screw that.

So I was their barbie doll, while they got me ready for my future Ken. Yippee. Like any Kens would go out with a mutated bird kid.

Now, makeup. I hated that stuff. Don't get me wrong, it looks good on other people, but not me. It makes my eyes water and totally itchy. Ella says that it's because it was cheap makeup, and that this stuff would work.

They tested thirty million different types of eye shadow, blush and perfume on me. Plus, eyeliner. I would not agree to buy it. The thought of a pencil poking my eyes--ugh. No way. The idea of going blind for the price of beauty? I'll pass, thanks.

But they bought it. Three pencils of the stupid poking utensils!

"I'm not wearing it!" I said for the fifteenth time.

"Yeah, yeah. You'll change your mind when you see yourself with it on!" Ella said.

My own sister won't defend me in this situation! She pulled out her cell phone and called Mom, telling her about how we had twenty shopping bags with us (really there were 18. I counted.), and told her to pick us up before we collapsed from all the baggage.

I rolled my eyes at her dramatic way of getting people to come to her aid, but my fingers were turning blue from the seven bags I was carrying. They were the heaviest, of course, because I was _Maximum Ride._ And I was here at a _shopping center_, being manipulated by 6, 11, and 13 year olds!

I waited with the rest of the crew (Hah) for Dr. Martinez to come with the car.

"It was fun today!" Angel said, jumping into my arms, I had put down the bags knowing Mom was going to be a while.

I smiled.

"Like the stuff you got?"

"Yeah! I have plenty of clothes, and you do too!! Picking stuff out for you was the best, Max! Thanks!" She hugged me, and I forgot about the claustrophobia and annoyance.

Seeing my baby happy was worth it.

-x-x-x-x-x-

We entered the house twenty minutes later, dragging the bags behind us and feeling exhausted.

Well, at least _I_ was.

I made my way up the stairs to put down the heavy bags, since they were annoying me. I flopped them down on the bed and opened up the window for a breeze. Mom's cleaning supplies still smelled in here.

Looking in the mirror, I almost died.

I still had the makeup on. I looked... good, I guess. As you can tell, I am **not** a fan of substances such as this. Making my way to the bathroom, I was determined to get it off.

So I was walking down the hallway, and I ran into the avoider man.

"Holy crap," Fang said in shock. "Is that... makeup?"

I rolled my eyes. Why does everyone have to see me like this?

"Yeah. They decided to test some out on me."

It took me a second to realize, Hey, Fang actually talked to me. Everybody bring out the cameras and snap a picture! This won't last!

I walked into the bathroom and washed off all the eye shadow and caked things on me. It took fifteen minutes!

I dried my face and checked to make sure.

"That's better." I said, rubbing my _natural_ skin. Like anything about me was natural. Funny.

I stalked out of the bathroom.

"Maax!" Angel cried, pulling my hand. "You have to wear the makeup!"

Nudge followed her.

"You do!"

Dang it, she read my mind. I was totally not going to wear this greasepaint to school. I would look like... like... a _diva._ I shuddered.

"No way. You took me shopping, that was _enough._" I said, firmly.

The shrugged their shoulders in defeat.

"You looked awesome in it, though!"

I ignored their complaints and went to my room.

I seemed to be doing this a lot lately.

-x-x-x-

**Fang's POV**

I was walking down the hallway to my room when someone came out of Max's room.

Wait-- it was Max.

"Holy crap." I said, in shock a bit. "Is that... makeup?"

She didn't seemed nagged by the fact I was talking to her now. Surprising. Maybe the fumes had gotten to her head and turned off her instincts.

She rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. They decided to test some out on me."

'They' must be referring to Nudge and Angel.

She went into the bathroom to wash off the disguise.

Going back down the stairs, I noticed that the house was changing all of the good things about our personalities.

_Angel is turning into a fashion queen, Nudge is just... Nudge, Gazzy is like invisible, Iggy is all 'logic', Max is a freaking barbie doll, and I'm... I'm..._

I froze for a minute, thinking.

What was I?

**A/N :**

**AHH!!! ANGEL IS A FASHION FREAK!**

**I know that this chapter was all... out of line.**

**But I needed it for the next one. I promise (this is the third time I say it) that I'll get them back together. (MxF)**

**I really did a good job on this chapter though! They ACTUALLY talked!**

**(I'm a big fan of sarcasm, if you didn't already notice.)**

**For all of you who DON'T REVIEW my HARD work...**

**REVIEW. NOW.**

**I check my stats and stuff, so I mean... COME ON!**

**Review, so at least I can get feedback or answer any of your questions. Even a 'update soon' or 'great chap' or EVEN an 'awesome' is okay. JEEZ PEOPLE, It's not fairrr :(**

**(I like this rant. It works.) :P**

**I promise to update soon.**

**(Like tomorrow. MAYBE even tonight!)**

**HAPPY NEW YEAR!**

**-Mare**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N :**

**Okay, I know it's been a bit since I last updated, but there is a MAJOR cold front coming through and I've been hanging out with my sister more, because I really don't get to often.**

**Anyways, like I promised, Max and Fang get back together in this chapter. (Woopie!)**

**Merlinnnair -**

**I hate it so much too. Once winter break is over though, kiss the updates goodbye. My school gives out SO much homework and tests it's not even funny. But I promise I won't take a month to update, I can't stop writing for that long. I have an unheathly obsession.**

**Dramaqueen79 -**

**I loved writing that part! Love how you liked the chapter. I really didn't like how I wrote it, and I think this one is a **_**bit**_** better.**

**Maximum ride forever -**

**Yeah, yeah, you'll like what happens to Cript here. And they won't stay at school for long. There's no way they would stand it, trust me.**

**Wingsoverthewater -**

**Your story is spectacular. I don't know enough songs to like... make a story like you do! Or the words. **

**Makmay04 -**

**I fricken love your reviews. They make me crack up. 'Nough said. Need to get on to the story. :)**

**OKAY, OKAY, READ BEFORE YOU HURT ME FOR MAKING THE FEEDBACK SO LONG! But remember to review ;)**

Chapter 11

**Max's POV**

It was farewell time for Mom and Jeb, plus Ella. They were leaving in about an hour.

That didn't stop the evil Ella from planning another makeover, but luckily I had hid all the makeup in my _secret_ place behind my bed. I discovered it not too long ago, it's like a giant safe. I could fit myself in there, that's how big it is. Thank God that it was there, it I would be dead.

I was sitting outside on the grass, looking at the old word that Cript had written two days ago, the word _liberate_. If he really needed help he would have come to my window or something, not spook the wits out of my Flock.

I heard a door open and close, then someone walking up to where I was sitting.

"I had a horrible dream last night," Fang said. "You were wearing makeup and went shopping for three hours."

Ooh, he's talking to me _now._ Any coincidence?

I rolled my eyes.

"At least I didn't back out."

"I heard from my sources that you almost did." he said in a mysterious voice, and sat down next to me.

I held back my tiny grin.

"And who might these _sources_ be?"

Right on cue, there was thump and an 'ow'.

Angel and Nudge emerged from the trees, twigs and dead leaves in their hair.

"There is no way," Nudge said, spitting some dirt out of her mouth. "That I am ever doing _that_ again."

I snickered while they made their way inside, dirt showing where they had fell. That's what they get for spying on me for Fang's benefit.

"So much for that," Fang muttered, his hair falling over his eyes like usual.

Silence. An awkward silence.

I hated these things, they were a waste of energy.

"Why do you think the words keep appearing?" Fang asked me, his face impassive. _What a surprise,_ I thought.

"No clue, it's kinda weird." my voice wavered a bit. He couldn't have noticed though. It was tiny, very little-- oh forget it. I'm toast.

He looked at me, suspicious.

"Seriously."

I shrugged my shoulders.

"Max." Fang growled. "Who did it?"

I couldn't tell him about Cript. He would _kill_ me, and then bring me back to life and kill me again.

I started to get up, but Fang grabbed my arm and pulled me back down. "I swear if you don't tell me who did this, I'll make you." his voice was cold and his eyes, which were once showing a bit of happiness, was replaced with anger.

"Leave me alone!" I said, tearing at his grasp.

He held on.

"Who did it?!" he said, more fiercely this time.

I would not, and could not, tell him. He would not trust me at _all._

_He's not going to trust you after this either._

_Shut up, I'll deal with this,_ I responded back. _Just pack your bags, Jeb._

"LET GO OF ME!" I said to him, pulling my hand away from his tough grasp.

He tackled me to the ground.

You do **not **want to mess with Fang when he's angry.

"TELL ME WHO DID IT!" he yelled at me, pinning my feet down, useless.

"Fang, leave me ALONE!" I screamed again, kicking his legs away. (Thank God for martial arts training). He still was holding on.

"She said, let go!" someone yelled from the woods.

Oh no.

**Fang's POV**

I looked up, still maintaining Max in a firm grip. Why couldn't she just tell me? We're suppose to _protect_ the Flock, not destroy it.

"Who are you?" I spat, my hands gripping Max's wrists tighter and tighter, I felt her struggling.

I saw a boy with brown hair and dark green eyes become visible from out of the trees, his expression showing rage.

"I believe she said to let her go." he said, his eyes showing that he would fight me. Hah, let's see what this guy has.

"I'm not letting her go, hot shot. Tell we who the hell you are!" I said, my eyes full of 'dare-to-lay-a-hand-on-me' fury, and hands still clasping on to Max's arms.

"I'm Cript." he said, his face couldn't even hide what he was feeling now. "Now let go of her, she obviously isn't going to tell you, or into you for that matter."

I shot daggers, but he just shot them back, his face showed that he knew Max very well. I snarled at him, not being about to take this bastard a second longer. I lunged, throwing punches and knocking him off guard big time.

"Fang, get off of him!" Max pushed me off, and on instinct I tackled her back, making her nose bleed.

"What's you problem?!" She screamed at me, holding her nose. Cript was out cold.

I didn't care if she was yelling and if I had broken her nose right now.

"Who is he?" I asked, making her face looked shocked. I had just tackled her down and I still was on the subject.

"Old friend! Why the frick do you care?" she said, her face not dropping a bit, meaning that she was not giving any more information about it. Too bad.

"Old friend?! He was watching us, Max. Watching! STALKING!"

She shook her head.

"He was watching out for us, he told me, I know he---"

"What is wrong with you? Trusting some _old friend?_ How do I even know if you are telling the truth? Since when do you wear makeup and go on shopping sprees and go to your room all the time? When did this start happening, because frankly, I didn't get the notice." I was almost out of breath, but I couldn't stop now.

"Your such a jerk!" she cried, stomping to the door and throwing it open. "At least I don't meet random girls and ditch the people that I've grown up with!"

I heard her run up the stairs.

_How does she know these things?,_ I thought.

I had no choice but to run back up there and calm her down before everyone else found out. That would be torture, and embarrassing for the both of us.

**Max's POV**

That ditbag!

I slammed my door shut and went straight to my closet.

_I'll show him a changed Max._ I thought to myself, grabbing a bunch of clothes and looking at them in the mirror. _I can be whoever I want to be, and he's not the one to judge me._

I heard a knock on the door.

"What?" I said, venom dripping off my words.

"Open the door." said the voice of the _jerk_ himself.

"No! I hate you!" I screamed, and without a second thought, I grabbed some random stuff off my counter and threw them at the door, showing how mad I really was.

But the door opened anyway, and my blazing self was just thrown into a even brighter circle of rage.

"I don't need you everywhere I go!" I said, and he just stood there. "I can take care of myself, and maybe I am changing! Who cares? People grow up sometime!"

I grabbed some shoes and threw them at him, but he dodged them all.

I had enough of him, and I knew this wasn't going to get him out of here.

Time for the 'calm' get-out-of-my-bubble plan.

"Just get out of my room." I said, trying to remain cool and collected. Not working. "You tell everyone about this later." I sat behind the bed, waiting for his footsteps of defeat to walk down the hall.

None came. _Damn._

"Can't you take a hint?" I asked him, getting back up to see him still in the doorway.

"I just can't believe it." he said quietly.

I started to for the doorway to push him away and get him out of my face when he stopped me and pulled me into a hug.

I didn't want to be hugged right now, no way! There was not a chance I would stand for this, I dema--

"I'm sorry." he said nearly above a whisper. "Having a secret like that is unlike you."

I pushed him back, making him let go.

"Apologies are too late."

Looking at me, he looked me _right in the eyes_, and let me tell you, it makes you feel _really_ freaked out.

"Well, I'm doing it now, and you have no reason not to accept it."

I had a lot to say about that statement, but I stopped myself.

I was confused. I sat down, right in the _doorway_, right by his _feet_, to think about what he had just said, or what came _along_ with what he said. That's me, being mad, then confused. Huh. If that's mind-boggling, then you have to listen to Iggy when he's explaining bombs.

There was a silence before I started to talk. I was still mad, but the fire was barely burning.

"So you yell at me, almost break my nose," I pointed to it, all the blood was wiped away and I was talking fine, but it still hurt. "Yell at me because I'm turning into someone else, almost kill Cript out there who was just protecting us, and come up here and _apologize?_"

He sat down with me, right by the door so we were face to face.

"Yep. That's pretty much it."

I just glared at him.

"The stuff you said will never be erased."

"Neither will the shoes." he said, and he didn't mean it in the funny way. "Plus the stuff said from before."

I looked up and stared him in the eyes and looked back down.

"That especially."

He came over and hugged me again, and I felt a bit better.

"I'm sorry." he said again, pushing some blonde hair away from my face. "And whatever this school does for us, it'll be fine. We'll make it through."

I almost laughed at his words.

"No we won't. We can't even live in a house together, for crying out loud. Nudge and Angel are turning into spy agents and Iggy is getting weirder by the min--"

He cut me off by kissing me on the lips, taking me by full surprise.

"Do you ever shut up?" he asked, pulling away and showing a small smile.

I grinned back at him.

"Do you ever know anything _not_ right to say?"

And I kissed him back, astonishing myself and him.

"Hmm... someone is way different then I thought she would be." he said, breaking away and smiling again, but this time it was a _full._ My friends, that's a sign that the world is _really_ coming to an end.

"No," I said, matching his expression perfectly. "It's just the fact that your even more blind then Iggy."

I took in his appearance before getting up and making my way out and to the kitchen. I could almost print the picture out of my head, his puzzled face. I made my way to the television and collapsed on the couch.

Cript would be fine in no time, back on the run and leave this place, and I could just relax and hang around. Angel would know about the situation in a few seconds, and Ella and my Mom were leaving, so I wouldn't have adults up my back anymore. Iggy would be happy in a sort of way, knowing that Fang wouldn't keep talking to him while he's concentrating on cooking. Gazzy would just be... yeah. I sighed, but not in the bad way. In a _relaxed_ way.

Ah, the life of a mutant bird kid.

So amazing, yet so complicated.

**A/N :**

**BEFORE YOU PRESS THAT REVIEW BUTTON, (you better!),**

**I know it was... sudden, but come on! ****I got them back together!**** In **_**one**_** chapter!**

**That's all I'm saying.**

**TO ALL OF YOU WHO DECIDE NOT TO REVIEW MY **_**EXTREMELY**_** HARD WORK --**

**THAT'S BAD KARMA, PEOPLE! Do you want bad luck? Well do me a favor and tell me if you liked this story! I check my stats **_**and**_** my e-mail. You people are out there! So **_**pleeeease **_**review? For meeee???**

**(I will be posting this rant A LOT, and come on people, just review! It really makes me feel all **_**bubbly**_** inside. Okay. Enough. REVIEW!)**

**-Mare**

**Maximum Writers.**

**(Hayl says 'Hi!')**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N : OKAY! NEXT CHAPTER! **

**Warning : The 'Flashback' scene isn't all that good, so if you don't like it, don't rant about it. I know it's horrible. But the rest of the chap is pretty decent. It took me forever, plus, this longest of the other eleven! So be nice! I made it long! It took me two hours to type up!**

**Feedback to my feedback. (FTMF) :**

**Nathaniel773 -**

**I know it isn't all that realistic, but I know people that have changed before my eyes, and they didn't even know it. So I'll take your reallylongwordthatI'llspellwrong question and tuck it in my brain and remember it. So thanks. :)**

**Siriusly-confused22 -**

**No! It's not over! I love writing! Don't worry, I am addicted to writing this story, nothing can change that:P**

**Makmay04 -**

**Hayl is my BFFL in real life that shares this account with me. She's fricken awesome. She read you review and couldn't stop laughing... I kinda got freaked out because she's like all 'AHAHAHAHAHAHA SO FUNNY!!! ahahahah!" and I'm all... 'Okay... I'm leaving to go to Starbucks now... see you...' and yeah... I'm gonna shut up now. Fang's 'nightstand girl' (rofl) will get in the way... you'll see...**

**DramaQueen79 -**

**Hmm... you'll see ;D**

**Merlinnnair -**

**Karma is that type of thing where stuff goes wrong for you when you do something on purpose. (That's my definition. And my definitions aren't all that descriptive... so...)**

**Therealme1123 -**

**I love typing your name-thing. But, I know what you mean. My head is being mixed with all these other glamour-books. Yeah. Okay, moving on.**

**Blondie -**

**He is bi-polar. Yippee. Haha, just kidding. But yeah. It is confusing, BUT THEY ARE BACK TOGETHER. Okay, story time!**

**Remember my warning : there is a overuse of 'laughing'. You'll see... and I have no idea of the name of the movie they rented. Don't hurt me! I'm clueless these days! I had 17 days off of school. I start back on Monday, winter break has ended D: Boo-hoo.**

Chapter 12

**Max's POV**

It was the day after Jeb, Ella and my Mom left. The day before, they made sure that we had all of our supplies, and bought backpacks and a least a _thousand_ pencils and a hundred erasers. Plus textbooks. We had to buy our own because Desersy spent all it's funds on the teacher's paychecks and 'learning techniques'. Sure. But, the only good thing about buying your own books is that they stay at home. Desersy does have books at school for the students, but not for them to keep at home. They don't let us take the books home, either. And I thought I was paranoid. I was totally confused about this, too. Seems that some sense was knocked into them when some kids that didn't have the money for the three-hundred dollar textbooks and had no homework assignments completed at home.

Anyways, we spent the two last hours before they had to leave for the flight back to Arizona packing the backpacks while Mom made her famous chocolate chip cookies. My mouth was watering while I organized the two binders, four folders, three composition books, and a bunch of lead pencils that Ella got for me, knowing that she owed me big time for the makeup. Revenge is sweet.

There were lockers at Desersy, and they were pretty spacious. But I didn't like the idea of storing my personal belongings in a locker, when someone could pick the combination lock. Trust me, I have one right here, and he's _blind._ So, get how paranoid I am about this? That's like having a guy _blindfolded_ and doing one of those colored-cube puzzles, but having someone else mix it up for you!

_No one is going to go through your stuff. Relax._

I didn't respond, I pretended to be occupied with my supplies for the school we were going to in _two _days. Well really, now being that it was the _day after_ they left, it's _one_ day.

But anyways, Dr. Martinez pulled the cookies out of the oven, she made five batches. _Five._

"I still can't believe you did five batches, Mom." I said, eyeing the treats longingly.

"Well, when you pack your lunches, you have some goodies to put in them." she smiled sweetly. "Now, don't eat them until they cool." she gestured towards my hand leaning in to grab one of the sweet-smelling wonders. I pulled it back, trying to hide my smile of guilt.

So, there was a half and hour left before out 'guests' had to leave. They called a 'family' meeting, which was soon changed to 'group' meeting because the Gasman refused to participate. Don't ask me why.

Let's just say the meeting went _totally_ wrong.

_Flashback -_

_Mom called us to a meeting after looking at the clock for the hundredth time. _

"_Okay, guys. We're leaving in thirty minutes, and we needed to go over some details." she eyed all of us before continuing._

"_The elementary school starts at eight, and you're walking. The one's who go to Desersy will walk Angel and Gazzy to their school. You should leave at 7:30." she paused to catch her breath. "Desersy begins at 8:30 _**(A/N : I have no clue what time I had it before, so if it's wrong, don't hurt me.)** _and right after you drop the younger ones off, you walk to your school. Make sure to bring your backpacks with you."_

_I nodded, agreeing._

_Angel automatically giggled __out of nowhere._

"_What is it, Ange?" I asked her, she was red-faced and laughing hysterically. _

_She shook her head, her eyes closed with laughter and her shoulders were shaking. Finally she stopped._

_She gasped for breath._

"_Gazzy said--" she started laughing again because of the thought. Gasping for breath, she paused. "I'm better now."_

_Fang was watching her, one eyebrow raised. _

"_You sure?" he called, and all the sudden Angel burst into laughter __again._

"_Will you stop it?" I asked him, wanting to know why everyone was laughing. And when I say everyone, I mean everyone besides Jeb, Mom, Me and Fang._

"_Okay. I promise I'm good. Gazzy said the reason why he didn't want to attend a family meeting was because he didn't-- he didn't--" she burst out laughing, AGAIN._

"_I lied." Angel said, tears running down her cheeks because she was laughing so dang hard. _

"_Ughh. You guys are hopeless." I said, getting up to swipe a cookie from the kitchen, the smell so good, I couldn't resist. Jeb and Mom seemed to give up, and went to go get their luggage while Ella started to leak tears too, unable to stop her giggling._

_I realized the prickling of the hairs on the back of my neck, and turned to see Fang standing behind me._

"_They are really starting to freak me out." he said, reading my expression. "I think they planned it."_

_I raised both eyebrows._

"_A plan on __laughing.__ Mhm. Great idea. Okay, Fang, one the count of three, we're gonna laugh to make them feel confused. Ready?" I said, sarcasm pouring out of me like a river. _

"_Okay, not the best idea to have them laugh like maniacs, but still. I think they planned it." he said, taking the cookie out of my hands. I looked at him dryly._

"_Give me back the cookie." I said, almost grinning on my own words. He snickered a bit, and took a giant bite. _

"_Hey!" I said, reaching up to get it, but he was taller them me and held it above his head, making my attempts useless._

_He couldn't even hide the smile on his face now._

_He finished the cookie, and I kicked him in the shin, hard._

"_What was that for?" he said, trying to sound angry but not succeeding. _

"_You stole my cookie!" I said, almost laughing. I grabbed another one, but he took it. Grr._

"_Fang!" I said, jumping to grab the cookie out of his hand for the second time. It didn't work. "I really don't like you." _

_He just smiled again. He was getting to be a pretty good smiler-person-type-thing. "You don't have to __like__ me. You already love me." _

_I rolled my eyes at his smirking face. "I was on a drug. Give me a break." _

_Don't freak, guys. He was referring to the time when Dr. Martinez took out my chip out of my arm, and how I completely embarrassed myself._

_I heard some laughs outside the kitchen._

"_Shit." Fang muttered. "This was their real plan."_

_I rolled my eyes at my stupidity. Why hadn't I thought about it? Evil snoopers._

"_Naw, it was the stupid __laughing__ idea." I said, being sarcastic yet again. "We're dead." _

_He nodded in agreement, ready for the mocking. So much for a 'family' meeting. _

_-End Flashback-_

So now, being that it was the day after the three had left, I was leaning back against the couch, munching on a cookie (I had hidden my stash because Fang keeps stealing them), listening to Nudge rant upstairs.

"So, why do they call a pancake a _pan_cake? I mean, I know it's made in a _pan_ and all, but _cake_? What's with the 'cake'? I mean, it's made out of batter... wait... cake is made out of batter too! So that's why it's called a pancake! I get it! Now for a cupcake... is that because it fits in a cup? Or because it's in a plastic little tiny cu--"

"NUDGE!" Iggy yelled from the first floor, Nudge was on the second.

She immediately shut her big mouth. She was so loud!

Fang was... somewhere. The Gasman was making bombs with Iggy (ignoring my protests of ruining the house), and (no duh) Angel and Nudge were in their shared room blabbing about something that I knew I didn't want to know about.

I grabbed the remote to the T.V. and powered it on. I went through the channels, trying to find anything to watch. Nervousness was gnawing on my insides. _School again. SCHOOL!_ Why hadn't I backed out? I could have disagreed almost instantly and we could be on the run. Now we had to go back to the disgusting pencil eraser smell and the meatball stench that lurked in the cafeteria. _Great_.

I'm such an idiot!

"Looking for something to watch?" someone said behind me, making me jump.

"Don't do that!" I said for the millionth time, but Fang just smirked back. I heard whispering from upstairs. Nudge and Angel, the FBI agents/fashion nightmares.

"I say we rent a movie." Fang called, loud enough for everyone to hear. Nudge's head popped out of the room upstairs. Iggy and the Gasman entered out little circle of fun as well. Woopie.

"A movie?" she confirmed, and he nodded, preparing for the motor mouth spasm that was about to be-- "Ohmygosh! This way we don't have to surf through the channels to find one! And no commercials! I mean, what is the point of those things? They just like... make people aggravated! I mean, they have no purpose--"

"They persuade people to buy things." Angel interrupted her. I have to remember to thank her for the logical thinking she has. I mean, a _six year old_ understands things better then the average eight year old. (We tried this experiment out with Gazzy... Even though Angel could have used her mind when we asked the questions...)

"Okay!" I said, bringing everyone's attention back to the renting subject. "If we are going to get a movie, we have to walk. So, who is up to _that?_"

Iggy and the Gasman shuffled back a few steps.

"We're on the verge of a new bomb revolution!" Iggy exclaimed, pumping his fist into the air and running back to his room, Gazzy a few paces behind him.

"Now that we have someone to watch the house..." I checked outside. It was raining. Perfect.

"Aww... come on, we've had worse before!" Angel cried, giving me the bambi eyes. I pulled on a raincoat, Fang doing the same.

"Damn those eyes." Fang muttered to me, opening the front door and opening an umbrella for Nudge and Angel. We only had one. The other one disappeared after Iggy used it and took it to his room... Hmm... I have a feeling it's being used not only for falling water.

Angel giggled at my thoughts, but otherwise was talking to Nudge who was trying to figure out the point of having fancy fountains in front of developments and expensive houses.

"But they just waste water! And they get all green and ucky and---ick! Look at that one over there!" Nudge exclaimed, pointing to a house across the street.

"Don't point." I said to her, and she lowered her hand.

"Why not?" she asked me.

_Here comes another rant..._, I thought bitterly.

"It makes people suspicious." I said slowly, seeing a store that said, 'RENT YOUR VIDEOS HERE!' in huge, flashing letters.

Thankfully, Angel saw it and pulled Nudge over to the place before she could ask me another dumb question. Yeah, yeah, you say that there is no such thing as a stupid question? Well, whoever came up with that stupid saying, MEET THIS GIRL! It should be changed to, 'There is no such thing as a stupid question, but this does not apply to Nudge themutantbirdfreak. The End'. That would be the _right_ version.

-x-x-x-

We were all crowded around the giant television, watching the movie that we had all agreed on. Well, 'we' referring to the four who went to rent the movie. I pressed play, preparing myself for an hour and a half period with Nudge asking a million questions. Well, at that was a waste. The movie was... EXTREMELY funny.

The Gasman, Nudge and Angel didn't understand half of the jokes, but Iggy, Fang and I were laughing so hard, tears were streaming down our faces. It was so _freaking_ amusing. I was still laughing when it was over.

I wiped the tears from my eyes and ejected the DVD from the player and got the kids into bed, still chuckling every so often.

"Night Ange." I said, tucking her into the bed.

"That movie was funny." she said, smiling a bit. I held back a laugh, remembering some lines from one of the scenes.

I nodded, containing my laughter inside me, and kissed Angel on the forehead. "'Night Nudge!" I called, over the whole 'laughing-hysterically' thing. We were laughing a lot lately, weren't we?

I made my way to my own room, seeing Fang retreating back to his.

"Hey." I said, opening my own door to grab some pajamas. Fang leaned against the door frame.

"Excited about school?" he asked sarcastically, his eyebrows raised.

I just rolled my eyes in response.

"You should have really turned it down." Fang continued. "I mean, there's--"

"Have you seen a single Eraser since the deal?" I asked him, still searching for something.

He gave up, finally knowing why I went along with it. Well, that was the partial reason, anyway.

He headed back to his room, and I changed into some bottoms that I got during the 'shopping spree' and found a loose T-shirt. It had taken me forever to find them, and Fang was gone. I heard something, and concentrated on the sound.

Someone was talking to Fang in his room. Wait. _Huhh??? _

_It's probably one of the stupid fan girls from the blog... they could have tracked us down, being that we are in a house now..._, I trailed off in thought and silently pressed my ear to the door, then thought better of it. He would come down eventually and I could tackle him down with questions. I side glanced to see Fang leaning against the girl's room, snickering at my behavior. Oh boy.

"What?" I asked, hiding my foolishness, pretending that I didn't do anything.

"You're so blonde." he said, almost laughing.

"What?" I asked, holding my hair. "Isn't that the most _obvious _thing?"

He rolled his eyes. "Blonde as in stupid."

My mouth opened, shocked, and I slapped his shoulder.

"That was _music_ in my room, idiot." he said, this time the smile was larger. "Not some _impostor._"

I bit my lip, embarrassed by my ignorance.

"So? Who listens to music at ten at night?"

"Uhm... everybody?" his smile was contagious, and one soon spread across my lips.

He shook his head and kissed me, and I felt warmth spread around my body. He walked back to his room, while I made my way to mine. A thought picked it's way through my brain, and I came to one conclusion : School was going to change everybody, and everything. I could feel it from my nose, all the way to my toes. No matter how much I didn't want to think about it.

**Okay. Done.**

**REVIEW!**

**To all of you who are mean and don't review :**

**You are from now on cursed! Review or else... erm... you will have all your lip gloss and your hair will frizz! And it will remain all... UNCUREABLE! And if your a guy... well.. you'll lose you girlfriend, and if you don't have one, Max will... uh... TURN YOU DOWN WHEN YOU ASK HER OUT! hah! Okay... just review! You guys are saying that I don't deserve compliments for my story if you don't. Reviews attract the readers! You don't want my story to be good? Well then... I hope this curse makes you think twice! Click the review button to disable the disease!! Ahhahah!**

**(I changed the rant. NOW REVIEW! The curse is coming!)**

**JUST REVIEW!**

**LOVE YOU ALL!!!**

**-Mare**

**Maximum Writers**

**Hayl thinks that funny reviews should get a virtual doughnut. So make it funny... and get a... virtual doughnut. (I swear, she freaks me out sometimes).**


	13. Chapter 13

**SO SORRY!**

**I really hope I didn't loose too many reviewers, I tried my best. I have spanish midterms coming up, and a karate performance TOMORROW, plus, next weekend I have volunteer work and an NJHS thing with Hayl... anyways, I AM REALLY SORRY. My school that I go to is extremely harsh with schoolwork and tests. Everyone wants to switch out of the school now. ANYWAYS, here is the feedback section.**

**liveurlifexx33 -**

**YOU REVIEWED EVERY CHAPTER? You're **_**awesome**_**. Thanks SOSOSOSOSOSO much :)**

**SalonTrong -**

**Well... IT WILL BE REPLACED WITH SLIME that will... uh... TURN YOUR LIPS CHAPPED AND UN-CURABLE. Hah. Thanks for reviewing!**

**Makmay04 -**

**Your fricken awesome. -Gives you octopus-. AND, all redheads aren't bad! (I'm one, plus Iggy is too. I'm also cursed with green eyes.) :( But I have an unheathly obsession with double-chocolate-chip fraps from starbucks. So, I had to mention it.**

**Twilight Twister -**

**I just realized what I said after I posted the chapter. :/ I promise no more of that. -shivers- THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING MY CHAPTERS!!! You're awesome too.**

**Siriusly-confused22 -**

**Hah. I only know this because I have a weird nose. And really weird describing techniques. **

**Blondie -**

**Yeah, pretty much. But, she'll get better. I promise.**

**Therealme1123 -**

**I am totally confused, but thanks for the comments! I look forward to your reviews because they have the strengths and weaknesses from my writing, so TY!**

**OKAY, HERE IT IS.**

**P.S, Natalie is NOT bad or in love/like Fang. She is kinda... freaked out by him. That's all.**

Chapter 13

**Max POV**

So, first period. I walked down the hallways, trying to remember where the hell the classroom was, while Mr. Silent here was looking behind his back every ten seconds.

"And you call me paranoid," I muttered, looking at the room numbers. We were looking for '415'. So that meant that there were atleast 400 HUNDRED classrooms in this _one_ school. See what I'm saying? We were getting closer, but I had a feeling that we were going to be late.

So, we dropped Nudge off earlier, then Iggy at his ESE class **(Okay, this is not meant to offend ANYONE out there. And if it doesn't offend you, it offends others. Don't ask why, just don't get offended. That's all I'm saying.)**, his protests didn't help at all, me being stressed with everyone looking at me and the crowds of people at there lockers.

So, finally, me and Fang were looking for our English class. We were at door number '400' now, and I continued to drag on and on until we came to our destination.

"Ready to do this?" he asked me, total seriousness on his face. If I wasn't feeling trapped in a box that was 2x2, I would have laughed. Instead, I just nodded, preparing to meet the teacher.

He opened the door and walked in first, me in the back.

"Hi Mrs.Simmons." I said, politely. Yeah, for someone like _moi_, I can act all 'angelic' like Angel _when I want to be, _which isn't very often.

"Entering classrooms doesn't start for another two minutes," she said, not looking up from the massive amount of papers on her desk.

"Well, we're new and all and we wanted to get to know the--"

"So?" she said, her beady eyes peering over her reading glasses. "All the new students find their classrooms _fine._ And, me, being a teacher that actually follows the school's conduct, will allow my pupils in my room at exactly nine fifteen. Understood?"

I opened my mouth to protest, but she stopped me.

"I know your type." her eyes glared into mine, but I just stared back, not going to loose this teacher-battle. "Listening to the teacher is the rules, and if you don't join the students out there, I will call Principal Revfel. Now get out!" she barked. I (as much as I didn't want to), left the room, Fang following.

"That was a nice greeting." he said, leaning against the wall, his textbook was carelessly tucked underneath his arm. Mine was held against my chest, trying to get used to all the stares and hoards of people chatting, yelling and hugging.

"It's like they can see the wings." I whispered to him, biting my lip. If there was anything that could get me out of this place, I would take it.

I leaned against the wall as well, hoping maybe everyone would leave me alone. But, they didn't. Everyone that looked at me, started to whisper. See why I'm the way I am?

-x-x-x-

**Fang's POV**

English was almost over. There was five minutes left, and Mrs. Simmons was explaining the essay that she had assigned to her class before the break. (Apparently, they had two weeks off, and she had _loaded_ them with work.)

"And, there were NO extreme adjectives! What is up with that? I told you, a three is going to get you to pass my class. The highest grade was a 2.5!", she was outraged, but I was staring at the ceiling, completely bored out of my mind.

"Nick!" she yelled at me, and brought me back to her boring, plain-old white classroom, with a desk in one corner and a tiny projector in the other.

"Yes?" I asked, my tone flat.

"I would like to know why you were daydreaming in my classroom." she said, and if her eyes could glow red with the rage she was feeling, then they would be.

"Well," I said, trying not to seem sarcastic. "It _is_ English, so I was thinking about what crazy topic I would talk about in my essay."

My face didn't flinch, and her's didn't either.

"Good answer." she said, finally. "But that does not exclude the fact that you were not paying attention. Next time, it will be a thirty-minute long lunch detention. Is that clear?"

"Yes." I said, staring into her eyes, making her know that I was not afraid of her. I heard a guy mutter something to someone else and stifle a laugh. Great.

"Okay, class, you're all aware--"

The bell rang.

_Thank you,_ I thought, collecting my textbooks and putting them into my bag, knowing that Mrs. Simmons could not issue homework _now._ I let out a sigh of relief when I passed into the hallway, walking in the direction of my locker.

I opened the lock and stuffed my textbooks inside not caring if they weren't neat. I took my science workbook (for some reason, that sounds totally third grade), and a new pencil, being that Simmons had taken my other one because 'It wasn't proper for her class'. Psh. That lady doesn't see what's coming at her.

I went down the stairs and was about to open the door to the outside, where the classroom was, but I heard the voice of a person I was trying to avoid.

"Nick!"

I ran into a full-paced sprint, noticing Max surrounded by a bunch of guys. If I didn't have this _stalker_ girl behind me, I would have taken them down, one by one in a heart beat. But, I didn't have the time.

I was a few steps away from the door when she caught up to me, breathing hard.

"I've been looking for you!" she said, brown hair flowing behind her. "I thought you weren't coming."

I attempted to smile, but it turned into a grimace.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"See, Rachel," I started, "I kinda met someone else."

Her eyebrows raised.

"Excuse me? Are you _dumping_ me, Rachel Lacrette? You have _got to_ be kidding me."

This was all time new couple pairing for Mr. Fang this week, stay tuned in for tomorrow's episode! I tried to get this over with.

"I actually am." I said, being serious.

"Then, who is it?" she asked, her eyes on fire. "Who is this fantastic wonder that took over my _boyfriend_?"

"I was never your boyfriend." I said, glaring at her. I started looking for Max, but she wasn't anywhere, so I grabbed a random girl from a group of people passing through.

"This is her." I pointed to the redhead, with glasses. Why do I always get stuck with the reds?

Rachel squinted, and the red-haired random person was trying to figure out what was going on.

"But she's so... small." Rachel said, trying to put the pieces together.

I nudged 'Red' (let's call her that for now...) and she finally got what was happening.

"I have... uh... dwarf disease!" she said, concealing her _great_ idea about her height. "I was bit by a gnome when I was three."

I put my head in my hands.

"She can be a little crazy sometimes." I said, putting my hand on her shoulder. She shrugged it off.

"So, you are _dumping _me?" Rachel said, repeating her lines from before.

"Yep." I said simply. "Now stop stalking me."

Stomping her foot, she glared at 'Red'.

"You're gonna wish you never lived."

Then she looked at me.

"And eventually, you are gonna want me back."

Then she walked away.

"Your screwed." 'Red' said when Rachel walked away, "And picking me as your girlfriend? Ha! I'm wishing you luck. I'm Natalie, by the way."

I nodded my head.

"I'm Nick."

Simple greeting, and this girl wasn't jumping to any conclusions.

"And I'm dead." she said, checking the clock on the wall by some vending machines.

She ran off to get to her class while I walked into science. This was going to be a _long_ school year, I could feel it.

**Max's POV**

I had escaped from the group of guys around me and saw Fang not too far away. This girl was storming away from him, looking pretty pissed.

"Don't get your hopes up," she said, noticing me looking at him. "He's _mine._ Don't even try."

I raised my eyebrows.

"Like you could hold on to him."

That made her flame up, right on the spot. She didn't say a word, just walked past me, bumping her shoulder into mine.

"You're really going to wish you didn't say that."

I ignored her, watching Fang talk to a redhead, but this time, not attached by the lips.

How was I ever going to get him to talk to me like that?

_Just follow destiny._, I clenched my fists.

_Maybe you should follow your's and stop talking to me, before I do it for you._

I walked in the direction of science, bummed.

School was going to suck.

Correction : It already did.

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**DO IT OR I WILL NOT POST THE NEXT CHAP, OR YOU WILL BE **_**MYSTERIOUSLY **_** BLOCKED FROM THIS STORY!!! Muahahaha. Just review.­**

**REVIEW AND I WILL GIVE YOU A ROLLER COASTER/DONUT/FANG! (stole him using my ninja powers)**

**Fang : -backs away-**

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**-Mare**


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

**Max's POV**

Okay, fourth period. There were six of these stupid things, and two more to go. Third period was gym, and that was just the _best _subject in the whole entire school! (Sarcasm) The locker rooms were crowded with a whole bunch of other girls (Thanks to whoever got the idea to have bathroom stalls inside them), so I was late for meeting at the bleachers. Joy. So, anyways, now was _math. _

_Whoever would come up with this stuff?_, I thought to myself looking at a problem in the mathematical textbook. _This is so stupid._

Mr. Slovaski was going on and on about how fractions are our best friends and how we should appreciate them like we appreciate the Earth and our _scientists._ Obviously this guy doesn't know what _we_ have gone through.

Fang was in the front of the room (hahhaha), while I sat all the way in the back, the brunette-female-dog to my left, and another guy to my right, who would _not_ stop looking at me.

I looked at the clock for the millionth time today. Five minutes left. That meant that this guy had to wrap up his _speech_ and start with the whole 'Does anyone have an questions?' scheme. But the guy just kept on blabbering.

Then the bell.

I got all my books and held on to them tightly as I crossed the halls to my locker, where I put them in, being that Peer Counseling didn't have any textbooks in this school. You just needed paper and a pencil, plus a composition book. That's it.

Walking out the door with my supplies, I ran into the guys who were surrounding me before.

"Hey babe." one of them said, coming closer.

There were five of them. I have nicknames. Butthole1, Butthole2, Butthole3, Butthole4 and Jerkoff. Pretty creative, eh?

Before, they just were around me and saying all this stuff, I was able to get out. Now, I wasn't so sure.

Jerkoff kept on coming.

_This guy better fricken back off, or I'll--_

He greedily pressed his lips on mine, sticking his tongue down my throat. I started to gag, but this guy had a firm grip against me.

I know, I'm not suppose to show my avian strength, but this was an _emergency._ A serious one.

I kicked him, as hard as I could, and he fell backward, holding his leg helplessly. I gasped for air, still aware of the other guys, who were trying to make another move.

While I was pressed against the wall, and no one was there to stop these assholes.

No teachers, helpful students, nothing.

Where was Fang when you need him?


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N :**

**Okay, sorry for the shortness of the chapters, but I am trying to make the personalities to fit the characters in the books.**

**So, this one is a little gory. I know this would **_**never**_** happen. **_**NevereverEVER,**_** but I wanted to have some ACTION, that didn't involve Erasers. Ick. Those guys need to get a life.**

**THANK YOU FOR THE REVIEWS!**

**I will do feedback in the next chapter, I just don't have time now.**

**P.S. : Natalie will **_**never**_** go out with Fang. **_**Rachel **_**will **_**NEVEREVER**__**EVER**_** go out with him either. Natalie IS NEVER going to like Fang. She has a **_**different**_** role in this story. You'll see.**

Chapter 15

**Max's POV**

_I kicked him, as hard as I could, and he fell backward, holding his leg helplessly. _

_I gasped for air, still aware of the other guys, who were trying to make another move._

_While I was pressed against the wall, and no one was there to stop these assholes._

_No teachers, helpful students, nothing._

_Where was Fang when you needed him?_

Butthole3 didn't care about his fallen companion. He held my throat, a scary smile on his face.

"You can't run away." he whispered in my ear. I tugged on his hand, and he just tightened his muscular arm around me. I was losing air.

Why wasn't anyone stopping this guy? Honestly!

Jerkoff got to his feet, pushed Butthole3 out of the way **(A/N : I LOVE my nicknames) **and came up to me.

"You bitch." he said, kicking me in the stomach, me doubling over in pain. Us Avian Americans have an important air sac right where he hit me, and it took me a while to recover. I knew I wasn't going to get out of this.

Again, one of them tried to make out with me, but I pushed them away elbowing Butthole3 to let go of my neck, being that his grip had loosened. But the other guys grabbed onto my arms and held me upward while Jerkoff pulled my hair and made me face him.

"Kiss me, _now_." he said, showing rage. "Or I'll just have 'ta use this." he pointed to a pocket knife in his jacket, holding on to my hair harder to add emphasis. I had no choice. Even though these guys were nothing compared to me, I couldn't reveal my secret.

I moved quickly, and in ten seconds, I had my lips against this guy's face, feeling disgusted. He took his hand and pressed it against the back of my head, forcing me not to stop. This guy was smart, in a sickish kind of way.

The other guys were cheering, and tears were rolling down my cheeks. And I never cried. I was begging for someone to stop these guys. Finally I was let go, and I fell to my knees.

There was the bell, I was late for class. But, I was trapped in this semicircle of hormonal teenagers who felt like taking it out on _me._ My luck.

There were footsteps, yells, but I was numb, I realized another one of the Buttholes were kissing me on the lips, and my instincts kicked in. I roundhoused the guy's ribcage and he fell to the ground.

I saw Fang taking another one down. I wasn't looking, and Jerkoff took his pocket knife out of his jacket and held it to my neck.

_Desperate much?_, I thought.

Fang stopped what he was doing, looking pretty pissed.

"Let her go before I fricken knock you into the concrete." He said, his voice as hard as stone, his eyes piercing into his.

Jerkoff just laughed.

"I don't need her."

He stuck the blade of the knife into my neck, and I screamed in pain.

Mr. No-Emotion couldn't take this anymore, it showed on his face. The blade had left a good mark, and I hated it. I hated it when anything with a point went by my neck. That was my weakness. The blood was dripping down onto my shirt, while Fang took the cutter down.

I wasn't aware of anything going on, so I couldn't keep track of the fight. When I came to my senses, Fang was holding me, putting pressure to my wound.

"What did you do to her?!" Cript yelled.

Wait, _Cript?_ I was going crazy. But he was there, his wavy brown hair falling over his dark, green, angry eyes, his pale, flushed face flecked with freckles.

I was passing out.

"Max, MAX! Stay with me!" Fang yelled, pinching my cheeks to get my attention.

I was losing the fight.

"Fang... I... Get me something to stop the pain."

Then I fell into a deep hole of blackness, no where to fall except into his arms, limp.

**A/N :**

**My computer is annoying me right now, but did you like it?**

**Probably not.**

**But, I promise it will never happen again.**

**And if your review has anything to do with Cript, RELAX. Everyone will get their share. Promise. Swear. Whatever.**

**MAX IS NOT GOING TO DIE. **

**So, chill.**

**FOR ALL OF YOU WHO DON'T REVIEW MY WORK :**

**I **_**will**_** make Rachel get together with Faaaanggg :PP SO YOU BETTER REVIEW BEFORE I DO SOMETHING I REGRET!**

**I will give you...**

**Iggy/Bendy straw/Peanuts if you review. I stole Iggy because he was on watch and I stopped time with my magical powers and brought him in my house. He is hiding in my closet.**

**Iggy : LET ME OUT OF HERE, NOW!**

**Me : -snickers-**

**REVIEW!**

**Luv ya,**

**Mare**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N : BWAHAHAHA MARE IS EVIL AND HAS DECIDED NOT TO DO THE FEEDBACK SESSION BECAUSE SHE IS **_**MEAN.**_

**Hahah, really sorry for the wait.**

**This chapter SUCKS, just to let you know.**

**I really don't like it.**

**Good Luck!**

Chapter 16

**Fang's POV**

"_Fang... I... Get me something to stop the pain."_

_Then I fell into a deep hole of blackness, no where to fall except into his arms, limp._

Damn. I looked at the cut. It was on her neck, not a very good place to get an injury. The Cript guy was yelling at me and saying how 'I was a demon' and 'Max deserved better'.

"SHUT UP!" I said back to him, grabbing my backpack. "If you want her to live, then move your sorry butt and help!"

I opened the small compartment and pulled out a gauze and a tiny bottle of peroxide. Yeah, I was just a _bit_ paranoid about this school-plan. I knew the peroxide was going to hurt, but Max had passed out because of shock, so the sting would bring her back. Hopefully.

"That's gonna be pretty painful," Cript warned. "Maybe I should do it."

I looked at him in disbelief. "I know what I'm doing, you go alert a teacher about these," I pointed to the sprawled guys that was surrounding Max before. "And I will treat the wounds. Got it? Good." I answered before he could object.

I began to pour the liquid on the cut, and Max began to stir a bit. God, this stuff _was_ strong. "That hurts like hell." she said, rubbing her gash. "What did you do?"

"Those guys got you with a knife. You okay?"

"Of course I'm okay!", she said. It would have been convincing, if only she wouldn't have winced at her words.

"Crap." she said, knowing that I had seen her face. "It does hurt a _little_. Fine, it does hurt. But, I can patch myself up."

I shook my head at her ignorance. "No, I'll patch you up. Turn around."

Wrapping the gauze, I heard footsteps. I looked in the direction to see the beloved Cript, followed by an administrator.

They took over the scene, and gave me and Max yellow hall passes to get to our next class.

"I can't believe I went along with this deal." she muttered, walking up the stairs to out next class. I paused.

"What _deal_?" I asked, incredulous. No one told us about a _deal_. We were _threatened_ to go to school.

_Flashback --_

_We were in a cave, not too far from New York. After a quick vote, that was where we decided to head. That's the good thing about being on the run-- you decide where to go, you're free. Well, as free as mutant bird kids with evil scientists trying to catch you sort-of way._

_Iggy was cooking some hotdogs over the fire, being that we only had enough for us to eat for one night, so no mess-ups or flaming meat, something we were well-known for. Max was sitting at a far off part of the cave, quizzical look on her face. Knowing from previous knowledge, I decided not to interfere. _

_Fear passed her face, and she sat up, straight as a plank of wood. She was talking to her Voice, the __**thing**__ I hated the most right now._

"_You okay?", I asked her, making my way to where she was sitting. Not seeming to hear me, there was no reply._

"_Max." I said, snapping my fingers. "Yoo-hoo... anyone home? Helloooo...?" I waved my hand in front of her face. Nope. Nothing. God, she could really get into some trances. _

_I was about to turn back when she jumped and came back to the real world. Blinking a few times, she regained her composure.  
"Hmm..?" she asked, rubbing her head a bit. _

_I raised my eyebrows, but she ignored it and called everyone to the fire. Angel caught my eye and gave me a questioning glance that said, 'something-is-up-and-you-better-fix-it'. I nodded, then gave my attention to what Max was saying. _

"_Guys, I'm sorry to say this but--"_

_Angel gasped, and Max gave her a glare that told her to 'shush'._

"_We need to.. to.. well, we need to start school again." she said quietly, and everyone's eyes bugged out. "If we don't then we get... killed."_

_There was silence. Yippee._

_Stupid Voice._

_--End Flashback._

"Nothing, F- I mean, _Nick_, it's a figure of speech." she replied, talking about what I had just asked her. The quake of her voice made me grab her arm. I loosened my grip a bit, considering she had just been attacked by a bunch of assholes. But, I wasn't giving up that easily.

"I don't believe you," I said, pressing for details. "Come on, spill." Her mouth didn't budge. I finally began to climb up the stairs, my arm still on her's.

"F-_Nick_, let me go, I can go up the stairs myself."

I ignored her, and kept on going up.

"Fine." she said, looking a bit annoyed. She stopped, and I turned to listen. "They tormented me for days, I really tried not to get us into this--"

"So, let's summarize," I said, cutting in. I wanted to get the tiny bit of information fitted in the part I already knew. "They, being the school, tormented you for a while, correct?" she nodded her head. I was sounding like a school teacher. "So, on that day in the cave almost to New York, they _threatened_ you. What about the other times?"

A wave of guilt passed over her already flushed face.

"The other times they tried to make up deals, like if I do this, then they do this, if I don't do this, then I get this. Simple concept."

"What did they do, when you didn't agree in the first couple of tries?"

"They made cuts appear on my skin and cause some bones to break, no biggie. I fixed them up before anyone noticed. But then they said you guys would die, and I couldn't... let it happen." her face showed that she was sorry for not telling me this sooner, and how she desperately wanted to get out of this situation.

I didn't reply, couldn't reply.

**Max's POV**

I was _seriously_ telling him all of this, _now._ We needed to get to class! But, of course, he always gets stuff out of me.

"Are you... mad?" I asked, noticing him not saying anything back.

"No." he lied, walking up to a door that led to a hallway, where the classroom was located. "You really should have told us about it, though."

"That's another thing, they wouldn't let me." I lied, hoping he would buy it. He shrugged and opened the door, letting me in first. The teacher was in the middle of a lesson, apparently. Fang held out the hall pass, and the teacher motioned us to sit down. No stares of anger, annoyed face, nothing. And we were twenty minutes late!

Nudge was talking to the girl when Fang was in the brunette-incident.

"Oh, hey guys!" she exclaimed, bringing two seats over to the table she was sitting at. "Mrs. Kimmer was telling us what Peer Counseling was all about! James," she winked, "was looking for you."

'James' (or Iggy) rolled his eyes when his 'name' was mentioned. He hated it.

"Well, thanks Tiffany." Mrs. Kimmer said, putting on the overhead projector. "Just read this, take your comp. book and write your name on it, put it in the bin, and come up to my desk when you're finished." she instructed. I was pretty amazed by her strategy. No strictness about being late or _anything._ Wow.

The classroom was about two combined, five tables arranged around, Mrs. Kimmer's desk in the _back_ of the room, and whole bunch of _long_ banners and posters pinned to the wall, plus three different white boards with kid's handwriting on them saying things like, 'Jamie was here!' or 'Frank loves Melissa' and 'MRS. KIMMER ROCKS, AND SO DOES PC!'. She didn't seem like a tough teacher, considering the whole writing on the boards.

I read the short paragraph on the projector. It said,

_Welcome to Peer Counseling! I'm Mrs. Kimmer, and welcome to my class. In Peer Counseling, you will learn about many things involving teens, plus a break from all the hard work. My classroom doesn't have many limits, there are many hands-on projects, and not a lot of homework. You're job is to be who you can be. In PC, we allow you you do that. On Wednesdays and Fridays, you can help your teachers. On Thursdays, we will have a video for you to watch. On Mondays and Tuesdays, we will have our lessons. _

I finished quickly, being able to skim through paragraphs. I put my name on my composition book, and put it in the bin that Mrs. Kimmer had pointed to, and waited for Nudge to finish.

She was busying herself by pasting pink heart stickers around her notebook, decorating her 'name' with smiley faces. She was finally satisfied, and I dragged her over to the teacher's desk.

"Done already?" she said, smiling. "Now, you guys, there wasn't really a lesson planned for today, we are making posters to hang around the school. Grab some markers and poster board!"

I went to a cabinet and pulled out the supplies, then walked back to the table, where Fang was talking to Ig, and the redhead girl already starting her poster, drawing 'Peer Counseling, Room 109' in bubble letters.

"Hey, Natalie, teach me how to write like that!" Nudge exclaimed, walking over to her friend. I didn't want to know that girl, not one bit.

I set my blank piece of paper down, borrowing some of the markers that were on the table. I stared at the thing, hoping magical fairies would appear out of nowhere, making a _beautiful_ master piece, since there wasn't a creative bone in my body.

"Need help?" Nudge asked me, and I turned to see her progress. It was really pretty, might I say. She had 'PC' written in huge letters, with the room number. Plus, a whole bunch of flowers and hearts, what it's all about, that stuff.

I plucked the black marker out of her hand and wrote a bunch of stuff on mine, then made dots around it with the remaining colors.

"There." I said, knowing that it was horrible. I heard Fang chuckle a bit. I ignored it, of course. His poster was going to be as bad as mine.

-x-x-x-x-

Eventually, it was lunch. I brought mine, being that the line was probably going to be long. Me, Nudge, Iggy and Fang sat at a table that was empty. That Natalie girl was somewhere with her other friends.

Nudge was blabbering like an _idiot_, not stopping even when people gave us strange looks.

I was going to have a headache after this lunch was over.

Then the brunette-headed beauty entered the cafeteria, heading towards our table.

"Where's your _girlfriend_?" she asked snidely to Fang, glaring at all of us who was sitting with him.

I raised my eyebrows in his direction, but he ignored it.

Just then, Nudge's bubble-lettering friend stalked to our table, and sat down next to the beloved Fang. "Hey sweetie," she smiled flirtatiously. I would have believe it to be true, but when the brunette walked away, the redhead made a sick face and looked like she was going to puke.

"Ugh, don't _ever _make me do that again!" she hissed, picking her lunch tray up and preparing to make her way across the lunchroom to her other table. "That was torture!"

When she was gone, I was confused.

"Okay, someone tell me what's going on."

"Thank you!" Iggy said, biting into an apple.

"That Rachel," Fang pointed to the brunette, looking a bit grossed-out. "Thinks she's my _girlfriend,_ so I grabbed a random person from a crowd of people and told her _Natalie_ was really my... ugh yeah."

"And she just randomly was a _redhead_, right?" I asked, but wished I hadn't.

Iggy grunted. "What's wrong with reds?"

"Long story." Fang answered for me.

I rolled my eyes and ignored the questioning glance Nudge was giving me. Fang was too busy focusing on his lunch, and Iggy was kicking me under the table.

"What?!" I asked, after he kicked me for the fifth time.

"The guy behind me, two tables down, is talking about _you_." he said, whispering. "He thinks your _hot_, apparently."

"Thanks, Iggy." I said, sarcastically. Nudge had a big 'O' on her face, meaning, 'OHMYGOSH! NO WAY!'.

"I hate this school." I said under my breath, pulling on the gauze Fang wrapped around my neck.

Soon, we were exiting lunch, being that it was over.

Rachel was _attempting_ to flirt with Fang, Natalie was (against her will) glued to his side, Iggy was talking to some random girl who was leading him to his elective. Sixth period was coming up, _finally_.

Sadly, it was _not_ going to be the joyous part of the day.

-x-x-x-

"HEY FANG, LOOK AT THIS!" Max exclaimed, pointing to the computer with the website, with the story **SILENCES** brought up.

"What?" Fang grunted, he had homework to do.

"IT'S A **FANTASTIC **STORY THAT **MAXIMUM WRITERS** WROTE! I JUST READ THE **WHOLE THING**, AND IT REALLY HAD OUR PERSONALITIES DOWN!"

"REALLY? LET ME READ THAT!" Fang grabbed the computer from Max's desk.

"WAIT, FANG, I HAVE TO **REVIEW **FIRST, THEY **SPENT SO MUCH TIME** **ON IT**, AND IT **WOULD NOT BE FAIR** TO THEM!"

"Hey, you're right! Mare-- WAIT, MARE? THAT'S THE GIRL WHO STOLE ME WITH HER NINJA POWERS! SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD **GO BALISTIC IF PEOPLE DIDN'T REVIEW, **SO SHE STOLE _ME_!" Fang yelled, outraged.

"Who cares? I NEED TO **REVIEW!** SHE SAYS THAT IF I DON'T THEN **I WILL BE CURSED WITH NOT FINDING YOU TO BE MY CRUSH AND YOU'LL BE PAIRED WITH **_**RACHEL!**_"

"OH GOD, NO! **REVIEW MAX, REVIEW!**" Fang rushed, clicking on the **purple-ish blue button, not wanting to **_**suffer the consquences.**_

---

**See? They review ;)**

**DO IT!**

**-Mare**

**REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Okay. I'm not even going to give you an excuse about my late-ness. I had... stuff. Currently, I'm my sister's 'tutor' for adding, subtracting, multiplying AND dividing fractions. Yay for me. T-T**

**Sorry, No feedback today! I'm in such a rush to get this chapter up! If you have a question, somewhere in your review, put -QUESTION! ANSWER IN FEEDBACK NEXT CHAPTER!- So I know that you **_**actually**_** want me to answer.**

'**Kay? Okay. Here it is... It's really... ughhhhhh I felt like I was gonna get sick writing this... too much Fissa and Natang. EWEWEWEW (but you'll like the end!!!)**

**ANYWAYS...**

Chapter 17

**Max's POV**

Sixth period. I thought it would never come. I was trailing the green lockers endlessly, waiting to come to the room I was looking for. It was a geography classroom, and being that the school organized classrooms by hallways, it was easy to locate.

Ms. Wertfor. She was waiting at the wooden-oak desk, her hawk eyes watching me as I entered. Fang wasn't anywhere, he had been caught back with _Rachel_ and her friends. They really disgusted me.

Ms. Wertfor called me up to her desk, handing me a _boat_ load of papers. They were all permission slips.

_How am I suppose to get these signed, without a, you know, __PARENT_, I thought to myself, hoping Jeb would answer.

_Don't worry, we'll take care of it._, he said. I didn't find it reassuring, but I didn't feel like asking anything else. It felt really pathetic _talking to yourself in your head._

I focused on trying to listen to what this lady was saying to me. "This first slip, it is to be signed. It tells me that you agree to the 'no-whine' policy. The next one," she turned to a blue sheet. "Is to show that you have a _parent or guardian_ with you. If you _don't_, then you are going to be pulled out of Desersy, being that you should be in childcare." She explained each one, and I couldn't help but think two things.

_Where was Fang?_, and, _Is it just me, or does this lady sound like she knows more about us then we do ourselves?_

-x-x-x-

The bell rang, and I haven't seen Fang during the whole period. He skipped. Woopie. First day, and Mr. Tall, Dark and Silent missed sixth period!

I went to my locker to collect my belongings, and things needed for homework. Looking for Fang on my way, I saw him, but Rachel was taunting him. With my _super-acute_ hearing abilities, I was able to put together the conversation.

"If you're _together,_ **kiss her.**"

Fang let out an exasperated sigh.

"I told you, Rachel, _we. are. through._ Okay? So go get a life, I have better things to do."

"But you _looove_ her, and you can't even _kiss?_ What is wrong with that? I mean, _come on_, she _is_ your girlfriend!"

I took a sharp intake of breath, then hid behind a corner. I wanted to see what he would do, without knowing I was looking.

Natalie was right beside him the whole time, glaring at Rachel, looking super mad. She didn't say anything, as I could tell.

"You know what? _Why_ do you, of all people, _care_?" Fang said, eyes blazing.

"Hmm, I don't know. How do I know that my _ex_-boyfriend is just _faking_, so he doesn't want to be with ME?"

She was inching closer with every word, showing how much she meant it. I watched my right-hand man, struggle to keep his words down his throat, 'cause I knew if they got out, she would run crying.

"Who would want to be with _you_, anyway? You're so clingy!" Natalie blurted angrily. "Let it go, you _lost_."

Rachel looked pretty mad.

"Kiss her! I don't believe that you two are together! Never in a million years! Who would go out with _Natalie_? She such a GEEK!"

That was the last straw for Natalie, apparently. She _threw_ herself at Fang. I was hiding behind a pillar, watching everything. No one saw me. And the worst part, _he kissed back. _He actually did. It was just like last time. Just like it. 

_Flashback --_

_Just as I hurried past an empty classroom, I caught sight of Fang. Excellent-- I had five minutes 'till my next class. I started to head in, but realized that he wasn't alone. A girl was with him, talking to him, looking earnest. Fang was standing there impassively as she went on, brushing her long, dark read hair over her shoulder._

_I grinned. Poor Fang. Was she selling something? Asking him to join the chess club?_

_In the next moment, the girl had put both hands on Fang's chest and pushed him against the wall. I strode forward, reaching out to yank open the door. Even if she was an Eraser, Fang and I could make mincemeat out of her._

_Then I froze, it wasn't an attack. The girl had pressed herself against Fang like a static cling, and she went on her tiptoes and kissed him, right on the mouth._

_Fang stood there for a moment, then his hands came up, holding her around the waist. I waited for him to push her away, hoping he would be sensitive about it, not hurt her feelings. _

_But I watched, dumbfounded, as Fang's hands slid slowly up her back, holding the girl closer. He angled his head so they could kiss better. _

_I stepped back, not breathing, feeling like I was going to hurl._

_Oh, God. Spinning on my heel, I raced down the hall and into the girls' bathroom. I locked myself in a stall and sat down on the closed seat. Cold sweat was beading on my forehead, and I felt shaky and chilled, as if I had just fought for my life. The image of Fang holding the girl closer, tilting his head, popped up in my brain._

_Closing my eyes did nothing to stop it._

_-- End Flashback_

I was horrified. This time, I couldn't stand it. He kissed me in the cave, hadn't that meant _anything_? Well, sure, I had ran away because I was under pressure. My own Flock was taken. Away. And I wasn't there.

I picked up my backpack and headed out the doors, running, trying not to see the 'new couple' still kissing, trying to get Rachel to _back off._ Whatever, I didn't care. If he didn't like Natalie, then he would have pulled away a _long_ time ago.

I met Nudge and Iggy at the designated spot we agreed to.

"Hey Ma-- Oh... why are you mad?" Nudge blabbered, seeing my expression. I grabbed Iggy's hand and pulled him through the crowd, since he's _blind_.

"Jeez, what's wrong with you?" he asked, noticing my grip. I kept plowing through the groups of teenagers hanging about the campus, after school had _just ended._ I will never understand these things. **(A/N : stupid Max, everyone hangs with friends after school :P)**

We continued to walk down the sidewalk, which lead to the Elementary school Gazzy and Angel went to. I let go of Iggy, and made sure Nudge was ahead of me so she didn't get distracted, like the time she saw a purple car and got lost when we were on the move.

We reached the school (finally), and saw the Gasman and Angel both playing on the playground, but with a whole bunch of kids surrounding them. Friends? They were in separate areas, laughing and fooling around.

"Ariel! Chase!" I said, getting their attention. They came running towards me and hugged, and I tried to be happy, but my mood wouldn't let up.

"You okay?" Angel asked, and I _knew_ she wanted to read my mind. But, I had blocked it (insert evil laugh here).

"Fine." I said, smiling a (very) fake smile, and she bought it. She skipped along side Iggy and Nudge, talking about her day, when the Gasman was trying to 'converse' with me.

"So I made a lot of friends!" he said, gleefully. A slight smile played on my lips. I have never, _ever_, seen him this happy.

"Oh yeah? Who?" I said, trying to make it seem as if I _wasn't_ mad, as if I _hadn't_ seen Fang with that other girl, 'pretending' to _kiss._

"Well, there's Mitch and Mike, Gabriel, and Jake! Plus, they all like to build stuff! We made this thing out of spoons! And then, we made one out of SPORKS! Cool, huh?"

I couldn't help but laugh and ruffle his hair.

"Sporks?"

He nodded and skipped up to where the rest of the group was.

The only problem was, I couldn't get that stinken' picture out of my head.

_Fang kissing another girl._

Why did I care?

Because. Because I did.

-x-x-x-

**Fang's POV (A/N : THE TRAITOR!!)**

Rachel was _really_ getting me mad.

And Natalie was boiling.

"Who would want to be with _you_, anyway? You're so clingy!" Natalie said angrily. "Let it go, you _lost_." I felt like smiling. It was _so_ true.

Rachel looked really angry

"Kiss her! I don't believe that you two are together! Never in a million years! Who would go out with _Natalie_? She such a GEEK!"

I clenched my fists at _that_. She wasn't a geek. Wait--- Never mind. Erase that. No. I was not sticking up for her. No. No. NO.

Natalie _flung_ herself at me and kissed me harshly. I could feel Rachel's rage and eyes on me. I had to kiss back. It was forever. We pulled away, Rachel looked a bit overwhelmed, like she finally realized that it was _over._

But that didn't bother me. It didn't give me a hint of satisfaction. Because I saw blonde hair, Max's hair, fly behind a corner, obviously to go get the rest of the Flock. And it wasn't a normal walk either. It was a mad-Max walk.

_Fantastic,_ I thought bitterly. _Just what happened last time._

-x-x-x-

**Max's POV**

I was sitting on my bed, doing math homework. Thirty-three problems, and they didn't teach the lesson to us. Well, I wasn't paying attention, but still! Stupid math homework!

_2 x a - 5 x 6 - 7 x a - 32 (3 - a)_

Jeez.

I heard a faint knock. Fang had gotten home a while ago, he walked here. It's better then getting a ride from his _girlfriend__**s**_. Not that I cared.

"Hmm..?" I said, not looking up from the textbook.

The door opened.

Dun... Dun ... Dun ...

Fang entered.

"If it isn't the skipper." I said, rolling my eyes and pulling out a calculator. We were allowed to use them, I was just too lazy to move from the book of equations.

"I was caught between Rachel and her friends." he muttered.

_Mhmm.._ I what I felt like saying, but that would give me away. I just continued on the problem.

"You okay?" he asked, noticing the silence.

"Yeah. Stupid math homework."

It was hard keeping the sarcasm and/or rage out of my voice. I started to write down the result I had gotten on the piece of paper that was wrinkled now because of all the times I tried to erase.

Before I knew it, the door closed.

Fang was gone.

And I was just about to crack.

-x-x-x-

**Fang's POV**

It was eleven o'clock at night, and I was sure the Flock was asleep. I closed my book and made my way to Max's room. She was probably sleeping, but that wouldn't be a problem.

I crept towards the door and pushed it open as quietly as I could. Max was in her bed, blankets up to her chin, face looking plain and stress-free. Well, not really. Her eyebrows came together for a moment, and she turned the other direction. Bad dream.

I knew if I shook her awake, it wouldn't work, because she would ask who it was first. Experiences are to be learned from. Flicking is so much easier.

Right in the middle of her forehead, I did just that. She sat up immediately, due to our uptight senses.

"Huh? What? Oh." She saw me and calmed down a bit, but then narrowed her eyes. "What was that for?!"

I just smiled. Yeah, I know, so un-Fang like. Changes happen when you don't expect them.

"Dunno. You wouldn't talk to me before, so maybe now would be a better time."

"If I wasn't talking to you _then_, they why do you think I would talk to you at _eleven at night, _when I was _sleeping_?"

She looked a little mad. I didn't blame her. School was changing us all, and I didn't like it. She didn't like it. No one else noticed it but us. She turned the other way, and began to lay down again.

"Max," I said, making her face me. I wasted no time. She didn't have the story right _at all_. I searched her face for about a millisecond, but I didn't see anything that would trigger her seeing me and Natalie. I felt really... _dirty_, I don't know. "Look, about the whole thing after school--"

"What about it?" she asked, trying to seem calm. I've known her that long.

"That... kiss," I began, and she tensed up. "Should have been for..." I trailed off, leaning in closer with every word. She seemed to be glaring at me for a bit, wondering what I was trying to do.

Leaning in, I pressed my lips to hers. She jumped a bit. She _had_ seen me. Slowly she began to kiss back, and I felt myself smile. It lasted _hours_, which probably meant an easy minute or two. I pulled back, brushing her blonde hair to the side.

"It should have been for you." I murmured, only for her to hear. And that's how it should be. Just me and her. No one else.

-x-x-x-

**NUDGE'S POV**

"IGGY! LOOK AT THIS!"

I pointed to Fang's laptop, on the kitchen table. I had _'found'_ the password using my _special senses_. -cough-newabilityfromfirstbook-cough-

It was the **FANFICTION** web site with the _fabulous story that had a suckish-Fax scene but was still awesome_, or known as the fanfiction **SILENCES**__

"Yes, my blabberish friend?" Iggy came up behind me.

"LOOK AT THIS STORY!" I exclaimed.

"I kinda sorta _can't see._" he explained, rolling his sightless blue eyes. I mentally smacked myself.

"Okay, Ig, I'll read it for you!", I clicked the first chapter, then remembered something. I clicked the back button and _**STARTED TO REVIEW**_.

"Nudge, what are you doing? Where's the word spew?" Iggy asked, annoyed. My fingers were flying across the keyboard.

"If I don't _**REVIEW**_, Ig, **FANG GETS TOGETHER WITH RACHEL AND MAKES OUT WITH HER AND NEVER FINDS THE TRUE LOVE WITH MAX AND THEN THEY WILL MOVE AWAY AND MAX WILL DIE AND ANGEL WILL BRING HER BACK TO LIFE AND FANG WILL RANDOMLY COME OUT OF THE BUSHES AND SAY, **"OH NO, MAX, I DIDN'T MEAN IT," **AND MAX WILL GO, **"I'M RIGHT HERE,"** SO THEN FANG GETS CREEPED OUT AND RUNS AWAY WITH RACHEL, THEN BREAKS UP WITH HER AND GETS WITH NATALIE AND THEN HE DIES AND NATALIE DIES AND MAX IS LOCKED IN HER ROOM, SHE GETS REALLY FAT AND HAS 84 CATS, LIKE THE WOMAN ACROSS THE STREET! ** Iggy, I can't do it!!!"

"Nudge... whatever you do... **REVIEW THAT DANG STORY!**"

**A/N : They review, and you shall too! ;)**

**YES, THE KISSING SCENE SUCKED.**

**I knowwww... I couldn't write it. I don't know why! That **_**itty-bitty**_** scene took ****THIRTY MINUTES**** to write. The main reason is that I keep getting distracted.**

**SORRYSORRYSORRY!**

**REVIEW YOU FANFICTION-ERS!**

**-Mare**

**(Review and I give you Iggy, I still have him locked upp :P)**

**Iggy (from the closet): I REALLY hate you, MARE!!! **

**Me : -Evil laugh-**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N :**

**I'm not even going to come up with an excuse.**

**Just… read, for goodness sake, so you don't ATTACK me in my sleep.**

**I'm learning to sleep with my eyes OPEN!**

Chapter 18

**Max's POV**

I woke up the next morning, wondering if last night had been a dream, and that I had just imagined it all. I lifted myself out of my bed and went down the stairs in my pajamas, yawning on my way to the lower part of the house.

Iggy was already there cooking breakfast, and Angel was too, dark circles underneath her eyes. I smiled at her a bit, and she grimanced. She was not looking so good, as if she didn't sleep at all last night. She was picking at her food with her fork.

"Ange? You okay?", I asked, hoping someone could give me a second opinion on how she looked. She nodded, trying to smile again.

"I just couldn't sleep, and I was worried about what my teacher was thinking about," she explained. I closed my eyes for a minute before opening my mouth to continue, but Iggy cut me off.

"Angel, don't read other people's minds at school," he stated firmly. "Some don't want what they are thinking to be discussed. They don't know that they need to block their minds to keep away _telepaths._"

She nodded guiltily. "But she had all this stuff about a threat she received on email. Max, it was really scary. Like it was this stalker that got all her personal information."

I shook my head. "Angel, stop reading people's minds. It just adds a whole bunch of stress to our already stressful lives, okay? This lady has taken care of herself so far, she can get the rest of her life on her own. We can't bring anyone new to the picture."

"No, you don't understand Max," she said, and the fear in her eyes stopped me from interrupting her. "It was from the School." She whispered. "They're threatening her for information about experiments that she freed."

Great.

-x-x-x-

We had just dropped Angel and the Gasman at their school, and began to ours. I didn't look at Fang the whole time, afraid of what would happen. About what happened last night. Maybe he just did it because he wanted a break from Natalie or Rachel, I didn't know. I just didn't want to deal with it. Middle School drama. Imagine High School.

So we were passing the bike racks of Desersy, watching out for any of the cronies who would (and probably could, at this point) take us down. Yes, we are naturally trained to do this.

So, here was the hard part. Like any Middle School, in the beginning of the day, when there is twenty minutes to wander around and chill with friends around campus **(A/N: I'm making this up, bear with me.)**. So, there were Rachel and her clique, prancing around, jocks, over achievers, etc. Fang was caught in a net with Rachel's groupies surrounding his sides, Iggy ran off to some friends he had met (tell me again how a _blind_ guy can make friends when I can't), while Nudge here was dragging me over to her friends from her classes.

We maneuvered around a bunch of people in circles and full benches. Finally, we reached the place where Nudge was looking for. Natalie, and five other girls were hanging around, no doubt they were having the best time. They were laughing their heads off and listening to iPods and singing in ridiculously horrible tones on purpose. Nudge joined right in, talking at her super fast speed, but they didn't seem to care. They welcomed her right in, while I stood around waiting for the bell, feeling like a _loser._

A girl walked up to me and smiled sympathetically. "Are you new?" she asked. I nodded my head, wondering where this was going.

"I'm Rhonda, I think you're in my classes." Then I remembered. She was one of the people who sat in the back, fooled around, but always got the assignment done. She had blonde hair, like mine, except hers was more of a dirty-er version.

"Oh, hi, I'm Max," I replied back, enjoying the feeling for talking to an actual person who was not making a fool out of themselves. She nodded, impressed. "I like that name. Better then Rhonda. Ugh."

I smiled a bit, remembering J.J. from Anne's. She had said the same thing.

"Come on," Rhonda said, glancing at Nudge and her friends. "They can be annoying at times, especially Natalie. Did you see her throw herself at Nick the other day? That was _uncalled for_."

I nodded, agreeing. I saw Fang talking to Rachel, trying to get her away from him. He saw me and mouthed the words, 'help', and I smirked in response, following Rhonda in the crowd. He could deal with his own problems.

-x-x-x-

**Fang's POV**

I was caught again with Rachel. Keyword : again.

Except this time, there were at least seven others. I only knew the names of two. Courtney and Sally. Beach blondes, who were 'ooh-la-la'—ing at me.

"Ohmygosh, Rach! He's sooo_ hot_! Ah-mazing! I might just have to steal!" Courtney said, wiggling her eyebrows and I took a step back.

"I know, he's such a _catch_, right?" she replied back, filing her nails and flinging her long brown hair over her shoulder. Who says that anymore?

"Actually," I said, interrupting Sally. "We aren't going out. I said it at least _five_ times."

Sally looked insulted. "Do you know who your talking to?"

I nodded. "And I really don't care."

But, Rachel wouldn't give up.

"Come on, _Nick, _you know that you love me.", her eyes twinkled, but I untangled my arm, which she had a tough grip on.

Max passed by, following a girl. I caught her glaze, getting her attention.

'Help me', I mouthed, and she responded with a smirk, face full of amusement. I guessed this was my punishment for not grabbing Max instead of Natalie. It would be ten times easier.

"Ooh, so that's the girl." Rachel said, following my eyes. "You're dumping _me_ for _her_? Puh-lease. I'm so much better."

I watched her walk over to Max, and start to get up in her face.

"Who do **YOU** think you are, stealing **MY** boyfriend?!" Rachel yelled, pushing Max in anger. Max, being, well, Max, pushed her back.

"What's your _problem_? I'm not _stealing your boyfriend_, heck, HE DUMPED YOU FIVE TIMES!"

Oh, god.

**Max's POV**

I officially am declaring this Rachel girl a freak beyond repair.

Why? Because this _cling sack _throws herself at me when I'm actually having a good time. Yelling and accusing me, she says I stole Fang from her.

'Kay, let's have an overview.

Numero uno, I've known Fang since I was… hmm… I dunno, since I was _born_ in a _lab_.

Numero dos, WE WERE (and still are) BEST FRIENDS.

Numero tres, We've kissed… hmm… three times now?

Get my drift?

So, here she is, still going on and on.

"HE'S MINE! WHY CAN'T YOU GET THAT THROUGH YOUR TINY BRAIN!" Rachel yelled, her eyes blazing. "HE DOESN'T EVEN LIKE YOU, IDIOT! LET IT GO!"

Um, yeah. She should be taking her own advice.

"Excuse me?" I asked, eyebrows raised. "You, being honest, are the most stupidest, clueless and moronic person _ever_. He doesn't like YOU, and you know what? I DON'T CARE! I don't, 'cause school is NOTHING to worry about!" I was stepping towards her, my voice rising with every word. No doubt everyone was staring now.

Fang walked up beside her, obviously thinking, _What the HELL are you doing?!_

"Tell her, Nick, tell her the t-truth." Rachel studdered, grabbing his hand for support, but he tore it away.

"It's over." He said, face impassive, like usual. "It's been like this since the start."

She was mortified.

"But, I -- you and her and—UGH!!"

While she was busy storming off, I felt victorious. There was an irruption of cheers and 'YOU ROCK's from the crowd of people who had witnessed the scene.

"Max, I,"

I looked up to see Fang trying to talk to me, but he was interrupted by Rhonda running over to me and screaming on the top of her lungs.

"YOU DID IT!!! SHE'S BEEN OVERPOWERED! YES! MAX! YOU DID IT!!!" she grabbed my hands and was blowing my eardrums. Can we say major spazz? I didn't even notice that Fang had walked away, obviously feeling as if his attempt to talk to me was gone.

Rhonda stopped after a minute to take a breath, then came back to seriousness. "Nick is totally in to you. Like, not even joking. He was looking at you the _whole_ time."

I made a dry expression. "Yeah, okay."

Truth was, I didn't know what to think.

-x-x-x-

Okay, fifith period _already_.

"Maaaaxxx--- MAX!" Nudge was waving her hand in front of my face.

"Hmm?" I asked, still out of it.

"Jerry was _trying_ to speak to you!" she said, exasperated. "And he was CUTE! What is wrong with you?!"

Iggy stifled a grin and Fang didn't even look in my direction. What was up with him? Atleast a dozen of guys had come up to talk to me when they had the chance, but I pretended not to hear them. I wasn't interested. Maybe last night did mean something. I wasn't going to take any chances of not finding out.

I watched Nudge roll her eyes and turn to talk to Iggy. She wasn't hanging out with Natalie today. I think she found out about her and Fang's 'attachment' yesterday. As if she _wanted_ us to be together, she ignored the redhead completely.

"Hey." I said to Fang, trying to get him to talk. Maybe his chatter box phase was wearing off or something.

"Oh look! She's actually showing interest!" Fang said sarcastically, playing around with a pencil. Today was one of those days when the teacher didn't feel like giving out an assignment to do, so everyone was milling around.

"_Nick_," I said, finding it hard to say that name. "Do I really have to call you that?"

He cracked a smile.

"Yes, paranoid princess."

I glared at him, but added a smile to know I was kidding. This moment was disrupted by a yet another guy come to our table.

"I saw what you told Rachel," said the new comer, smiling. I rolled my eyes. "It was really great," he continued. I widened my eyes in irritation, and Fang got up from his chair, not wanting to see how this went.

"Uh huh," I said, trying to seem distracted.

"And I was wondering if maybe you would like to go," Nudge elbowed me in the ribs, as if to say, 'You BETTER take this one, or I'll kill you'. "Maybe go out to the movies sometime?"

I smiled a (really) fake smile. "Well,"

"Steve." Nudge supplied, in a rushed whisper.

"Steve, I'm not really int--"

"Great, tomorrow at six? Awesome!"

I narrowed my eyes at him as he strode away.

I didn't notice Fang standing behind me, clenching his fists, trying to contain his fury.

-x-x-x-

The school bell rung and I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, Fang ten feet ahead of me.

"Wait up," I said, jogging to make my way to catch to his stride. But he just picked up his pace all the way out to the exit of the school. I had everything for homework in my bookbag so I followed him, not stopping at my locker.

When we were out of earshot, Iggy and Nudge _way_ ahead of us, I quit the 'sweet act'.

"Fang I swear, if you don't tell me what the heck your fricken problem is--"

"I don't wanna take you away from your date, now do I?" he said snidely, gritting his teeth.

"What are you--"

"You know what I'm talking about." he said, interrupting me for the millionth time. "Did last night show you _anything? _God Max,"

I raised my eyebrows.

"Wait, wh—what?" I asked, my voice wavering.

"Nothing." Fang said, mutely. "You'll never get it."

-x-x-x-

I wringed my hands in anticipation. I was standing outside Fang's door, hoping if maybe I just should just look like an idiot until I actually chicken out.

_You gotta do this,_ I told myself. _It's this or going out with—ugh, okay, heading in._

I knocked on the door and waited.

"Fang…?"

I heard his bed creak. And the door open. His face looked tired, and looked even more narrowed when he saw me in his doorway.

"Yes?" he asked, waiting for me to answer.

"Look, Fang, about before…"

"Just forget it." He began to close the door, but I stopped it with my foot.

"No, Fang, you don't understand. I didn't say that I wanted to go out with that guy, I didn't mean to make you… like this, but,"

"Move your foot." He said, kicking it away.

"Fang!" I said, holding the door, again preventing it to close on my face. I held it with my arm, knowing that it would be much more difficult for him to close it.

"I get it, Max," he said. "But, how do I know that it's true?"

He took a step towards me, and I bit my lip. "Because it is." I said, backing up a bit.

"Exactly." He breathed, shaking his head. "Just like before."

I looked at my shoes.

"It doesn't mean that I don't mean it," I said, breaking the silence. "It's not a lie."

"This whole thing is a lie." He gestured the house, and I knew he meant the school gig, too.

"I'm not lying." I said, repeating myself, getting a boast of confidence. "I can promise you that. I can promise that I will _never_ go out with that guy either… and I can promise that I'm not going along with this any longer. We're gonna leave in two weeks, tops."

He didn't seem so happy though, as if he wasn't impressed.

"What?" I asked him, meeting his dark eyes.

"You still don't get it." He rubbed his forehead with his thumb, looking bummed and embarrassed at the same time. "I thought maybe this time it would be different…"

"Okay, I'm not going to get it until you confess and explain, Mr. Silent, because I'm not the brightest crayon in the box this late at night."

"Max…" I snapped my head up to look at his face, showing… _sincerity?_

"What? Are you going to explain to me or--"

"I love you, Max. Don't you get it now?"

**A/N :**

**DID I WRITE THAT?**

**YOU'LL SEE HER REACTION IN THE NEXT CHAPTERRR :)**

**Sorrysorrysorry.**

**REVIEW AND I PROMISE THEY KISS!**

**Don't and… I don't know yet. Just… please:( **

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**(sorry!!!)**


	19. Chapter 19

**Erm… I'm still learning to sleep with my eyes open.**

**I think like I'll need armor or something to take with me.**

**You guys are bloodthirsty!!!**

**No excuses. Take your chapter and back slowly away… I know self defense!**

**Iggy : -Snickers-**

Chapter 19 (!)

**Max's POV**

"_Max…" I snapped my head up to look at his face, showing… sincerity?_

"_What? Are you going to explain to me or--"_

"_I love you, Max. Don't you get it now?"_

My eyes went wide with realization. Had he _honestly_ said that, right now? Right here, where I was standing _exactly_ in his door frame? I had to be hallucinating, I officially lost it. I got too carried away, and Rachel and Natalie were just getting to me, chill, Max just ch—

"Max?" Fang asked, searching my eyes for any sign of hearing him. Oh, God! It wasn't a hallucination! Oh, crapolla!

I glanced at him to see if it was a joke. I searched his eyes for a long time before I had to look away, thinking it over.

I was barely aware of his hand waving _back and forth_, back and forth in front of my eyes. I snapped out of it, meeting his amused expression.

"I really don't know what to say," I admitted, biting my lip. I expected a joking smile, a 'GOT 'YA!' or something of that sort, but he just stood there, waiting. Waiting for my response.

"Fang…", I began.

"No, no, it's okay." He said, looking at the floor. If it hadn't been a moment like… well, _this_, then I would have laughed and teased, being that he was showing emotion.

But, no. This was one of those times when you feel like crawling in a hole and dying, hoping no one would notice.

He looked at the bedroom window then back at me.

_TALK!_, I commanded myself, trying to get the words I wanted out of my vocal chords instead of looking like a complete idiot. Which I was currently being great at.

"Well see you in the morning?" he asked finally, defeated.

I shook my head.

"Well then, spit it out." He muttered under his breath, his intentions were not for me to hear.

"I guess I…" I tried again, but then Angel's door opened.

"Hi Max," she murmured sleepily. "Is it sunny yet?"

I smiled at her tiny form, she was rubbing her eyes while dressed in a pink nightgown.

She was too tired to decipher my thoughts at this hour, so she just went down stairs to go get a glass of water, while Fang was _still_ waiting.

"Look, this is getting really annoying." He said to me, clutching the door knob. "I'll see you in the A.M." He whispered, inaudible.

I felt guilt crawl up my cheeks and settle there. "Wait," I said, my voice just a _tad_ weak. He stopped and I could sense the rolling of his eyes in irritation.

"What?" he snapped. I became very interested in the floor.

"I didn't mean it that way." I said to him, meeting his eyes. I could hear Angel's footsteps coming up the wooden stairs, her bare feet were light, which meant she was dozing off.

She passed us and muttered a quick 'goodnight' before closing her (and Nudge's) door and collapsing on the bed.

"Then how did you mean it?" he said icily.

I winced at his words. He obviously was mad at the way I had took his outburst.

"Fang, I really didn't. I guess I do… well, love you too." I said, my cheeks burning. I knew something was going to pop out at me and yell 'HAHA! YOU FELL FOR IT!' from Iggy or the Gasman. Maybe even Nudge. Anyone at this point.

"I can tell you don't like all this pressure." He said under his breath, only for me to hear. I closed my eyes for a moment. There was no reason to be pretending _now_.

"Yeah I guess so." I said, trying to laugh. No luck.

I cursed inside my head while he suppressed a chuckle.

I didn't even see anything coming my way, but soon I was aware of his soft lips against mine. Instead of being shocked, like I usually am, I kissed back, enjoying it. I felt him smile, and I broke apart, my breathing uneven.

He brushed some stray hair away from my face. A small smile playing on his oval face. His ghostly figure didn't seem so foreign anymore. And that was when I knew exactly that we had to get out of here.

-x-x-x-

I was vaguely aware of time passing by as I slept in that Friday morning, sunlight creeping in through the slits in the blinds.

I turned over to see the clock. 9 a.m. I was _way_ late for school. I got up out of the bed and looking in the mirror, tying my hair back with a ponytail, bringing it away from my face and turning to walk out into the kitchen. I was halfway to the stairs when a long arm caught my by the waist and sprang me back.

Bewildered, I looked up to see that the arm belonged to the none-other person then Fang. I rolled my eyes and clawed my way out of his grasp, reaching the kitchen in half a minute, devouring my breakfast.

Angel was shoving hers down as well, looking happy.

"So, Max, do we have to go to school today?" she asked me with wide eyes. Iggy sent her a glare (even blind guys can do that), telling her to shut up.

I felt like slapping him, but Angel's question brought me back to what I wanted to say in the first place.

"Where's Gazzy and Nudge?" I asked them, even though I already knew the answer. They were sleeping.

"Got Gazzster." Fang said behind me, plopping the Gasman in a chair.

"So _did_ you?" Gazzy asked him, looking up at Fang's eyes. I could tell they were talking about something, and I really_ didn't_ want to know what it was exactly.

"Eat you nosy pig." He said, ignoring my glare. I sighed, giving up, and went to Angel's and Nudge's room to get the oh-so sleeping beauty that needed to be at the table when I announced my decision.

I opened the door to see Nudge already dressed, bouncing on the bed.

"Nudge!" I yelled, and she folding her legs in and landed on the bed with a final thud, smiling at me, looking happy. Everyone was today, I realized.

"C'mon." I said, taking her hand. "Breakfast."

I dragged her to where the rest of the Flock was, who were having an engrossing conversation which I attempted to follow.

"…Then we can go swimming in a pool of applesauce, and pink striped zebras will start falling from the sky!" Iggy said sarcastically. "That's how lame your lie is."

Fang looked antagonized while I raised my eyebrows, but no one bothered to fill me in. "You were going to tell us something?" Angel supplied, not being able to get into my head.

"Oh, yeah, right." I said, remembering. "We're not going to school today." I was interrupted with cheers from everyone except Fang, due to the fact that he's, well, Fang. "And," I added, getting everyone's attention. "We're not going back."

More cheers.

"We're FREE!" Gazzy yelled, jumping on top of the table with enthusiasm. I couldn't help but laugh, he just looked so… alive.

"When are we leaving?" Fang asked in his non-emotional voice, dead calm. It annoyed me _so_ much sometimes. Everyone was having the time of their lives, but him, however, was being all dead-pan.

"Today." I said, dumping my plate into the sink. "I'm thinking that we can go back to New York or some place like that… anyways, everyone start packing!"

Picking their way out of their seats, they raced up the stairs.

I collected the plates and rinsed them off, sticking them in the dishwasher.

When I was finished, I saw Fang wiping the table down and fixing the chairs, which weren't pushed in.

"Get packing No-emotion freak, we gotta get moving." I passed him, noticing his _slight_ smirk, and went to my room, getting my clothes and putting them into my backpack. I wanted to get out of here by twelve.

I couldn't help but feel relieved. I was finally getting away from this nightmare.

-x-x-x-

We were getting ready to take off into the cool Floridian air. There was currently a cold front coming through. That meant that the breeze would carry us with out us having to, well, _flap_.

Before we could even really start out journey, we needed to work off the kinks in our wing muscles. Making sure everyone was still at school (we checked the windows), and all parents were still at work, we flew around a bit, then grabbed our packs and actually started headed in the right direction.

Fang flew beside me, watching the people below mingle. Our route went right by the school, Desersy, and something caught my eye.

"Fang."

I got his attention and pointed to what I was seeing. The school had kids screaming and running around, brown wolf men threatening to attack… I watched them morph into their non-human forms and terrify the students, and watching some who were stupid enough to fight back.

Then it all clicked. My breath froze in my throat. I glanced at Fang once again and he nodded his head, sending his black hair over his eyes. He saw it, and agreed. We had to get down there. So, all six of us, Angel, the Gasman, Nudge, Iggy, Fang and I, pointed ourselves downward, ready to kick some Eraser butt.

I didn't care about how I was saving people that I really _didn't_ want to save.

I just wanted to rip these wolf-jerks apart.

It's been too long.

**Oohh…**

**I know!!!**

**I'm SORRY, okay? (About the update-ation)**

**REVIEW AND I WILL HAVE A LOT OF FAX IN THE NEXT CHAPTER!!**

**There was SO much stress this week. We're taking the state tests and stupid 'prep exams' and all this **_**blah**_

**Review and I promise to have the next chapter up soon.**

**It's a 3-day weekend, and I'm sick with a cold. Grrr… It's horrible.**

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**-Mare**

**(Maximum Writers. We love you guys!!!)**


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N :**

**No excuses except the fact that I had tests, state exams coming up in TWO weeks, needing to get my math grade up, and the fact that my teachers don't have lives and decide that torturing their students with loads of work before the big exams to make them 'get used to the stuff on the test'.**

**Sometimes I wonder why we're stuck with this stuff.**

**ANYWAYS,**

**(There's a lot of action. If you have any questions, put it in your review and I'll answer)**

Chapter 20

**Max's POV**

We angled downward, meeting the concrete with our sneakers in less then thirty seconds. We felt like _super heros_ from a _comic book_. I would have laughed at this thought, but the scene unfolding at our eyes was too interesting.

Erasers. They weren't flyboys, no. They were our old friends. Attacking innocent students? Yep. Being complete idiots, like always? You betcha.

No one saw our wings as we landed down, ready to fight against these mentally deranged mutants.

One had a girl in a headlock. He was whispering stuff in her ear, and she slumped over in seconds. The Eraser threw her over his shoulder and placed her in the truck. My eyes narrowed.

"They're after someone." I said finally, scanning the crowd and seeing that a bunch of individuals were being knocked unconscious and put into white and black vans.

"No shit, Sherlock." Iggy said to me, the Gasman giggling at his choice of words. I kicked the smart one in the shin for his language.

"Where do we start?" Fang asked. The million dollar question.

"There's a giant group by the main staircase," Angel clarified, her eyes distant. "And another one in the cafeteria, threatening the kids."

I was quiet for a moment, coming up with a plan. My thoughts were wandering, so I went with the first one I had.

"Iggy, Gazzy, Nudge and Angel, you guys go to the cafeteria. Fang and I will go to the staircase. Angel, if anything is wrong send me a message," I pointed to my head. Yeah, pathetic, but we had to get moving.

They nodded, and headed out into the crowd of fighting students and experiments. I dragged Fang to the staircase, knocking out a few Erasers on the way.

I froze when I heard a voice behind me, yelling orders. I knew that voice. I slowly turned to see Cript, standing there, the leader of the pack.

-x-x-x-

Fang tightened up beside me and began to clench his fists, obviously angry beyond belief.

"Ah, Max, there you are," Cript said, and evil smile playing against his lips. There were ten other Erasers behind him, ready to attack if necessary. "Take the silent one down, and grab the blonde." He ordered, and I was soon in a headlock.

"You traitor." I yelled, and the Eraser's grip narrowed, almost causing me to choke.

"I wouldn't do that," Cript warned, but I could tell he really enjoyed it. Enjoyed watching me struggle.

I heard Fang's muffled voice about six feet away from me, which was too far. I needed to get out of here myself. I started to develop a plan that could get me out of this hairy grip.

"And I trusted you," I whispered, venom stinging in my blood.

"You see," Cript began, becoming darker and darker with rage. Bingo. Just what I wanted. "You left me there to _die_, I waited four years, and I didn't even see anyone try to care about my condition."

I winced a bit as the Eraser's claw began to dig into my shoulder. "Why would anyone want to rescue someone like _you_?"

I watched him twitch, his eyes darken in color.

"Exactly," I said, bracing myself. "No one would."

Cript lunged at me with such strength, it made me and the Eraser fall directly to the ground, and I was getting angry blows to my face.

Being able to block very well, I managed to knock him off of me and reverse the circumstances. I slammed the brown-haired backstabber against the pale green wall, watching his body trying to get out of my grasp. His face was twisted, trying to breathe.

"Are you feeling the side of me now?" I asked him, ice dripping off of my tongue. I was deep and frozen with my anger, I was barely aware of Fang just a few feet away.

I kept Cript up against the wall, watching with a satisfied expression.

"Max!" Fang yelled, finally realizing what I was doing. "MAX!"

When I didn't stop, I felt his body tackle me to the concrete, his arms wrapped fiercely around my waist and curled me up into a Max-sized ball.

"ARE YOU _CRAZY_?!" he exclaimed, sitting up, one leg over Cript's head so he couldn't escape. "Killing people? What is _wrong_ with you?"

I shook my head, getting back to my senses.

"I need to get the rest of the Flock." I said quietly, picking myself up. Truly, I just wanted to get away.

I wasn't stopped as I pulled a girl away from an attacking Eraser and knocked him out, cold in one punch. She looked at me skeptically before backing away and hiding in a janitor's closet, away from harm.

I leaned against a bench, holding my head for support.

I needed to get back to being _me_.

-x-x-x-x-

**Iggy's POV**

Fighting threatening Erasers while your _blind_ sucks. All you can do is listen, and when you hear someone scream, you have to wait for an eight or eleven year old to explain to you what happened, or else you have no clue _at all._

Nudge and Angel managed to tie the Erasers up and throw them against a small corner, while we kept the students under control.

There had to be at least a hundred of them, all silent and waiting for something to kill them all. As Nudge's details go, they all looked up to us as if they had no hope. Which, they probably don't.

The Gasman was pacing back and forth behind me.

"Ig, what are we gonna do? We have a bag of bombs, but no where to use 'em. I say we leave these guys here… No, wait, when they attack, _then_ we'll use them! Hah! It works out, right? Right, Iggy? I-gg-yyy…"

I blinked out of my deep thought.

"Gazzy." I said, sucking in a deep breath. "The person they're after is in here. They'll come back… with… Flyboys. Get all bombs ready."

"Alright! Yes!" He exclaimed. I could hear his happily shuffling through his backpack, whistling gleefully.

-x-x-x-

**Max's POV**

I crashed through the cafeteria's tan doors, Fang following closely behind.

"Okay, what's this about?" I demanded to Angel, but she held up a hand. I glared at her. "Now." I commanded.

"The person they want… she, or he, is here…" she said, distracted. Swifting through brains for any signs of secrets or clues.

I turned to see Fang's eyes on me, obviously not trusting me after what I had done to Cript. I averted my gaze and focused on a dark haired, dark skinned girl who was huddled up, watching the door handles.

I wasn't surprised when the Flyboys barged in that she jumped to her feet and tried to make her way to the emergency exit. I wasn't surprised when they grabbed her from behind that she let out a high-pitched scream that made Fang, Iggy and I cower into a ducking position and cover our ears. I wasn't surprised either when Angel cried out,

"That's her! That's who they're looking for!"

**REVIEW AND NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP BY TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY OR THURSDAY!**

**I love you all :) **

**-Mare**

**Maximum Writers**


	21. Chapter 21

**Oh just read the chapter!!!**

Chapter 21

**Max's POV**

My face was confused as Angel made her announcement and rushed toward the girl who the School was after.

Everything was happening so fast, my head spun in a million circles, and it just couldn't get over the dizziness.

Without thinking, I ran right after the youngest Flock member in attempt to block all attacks focused on trying to keep her blonde curls from meeting the girl's eyes.

A roundhouse kick to an enemy in the ribcage distracted it's motive and gave me enough time to repeat it on another attacker.

When realization finally dawned on me, I took in the fact that now the cafeteria was filled with _flyboys_, not Erasers, and there were guards blocking the doors, making it impossible for remaining students to make an escape. With a sharp intake of breath, I caught up to Angel and gripped her arm, pulling her back.

"What are you _doing_?!" I yelled at her, ignoring her squirming.

"I'm… trying…" She continued to wriggle. "To… get… OUT!" she succeeded and ran over to the scene right by the emergency exit. I had no choice but to follow.

The rest of the Flock didn't even cross my mind, I had my eyes on what the heck my baby was doing. Obviously she knew something I didn't, and I was determined to find out.

Once I caught up and was in hearing range, I tried to get the puzzle pieces to fit. (You do _not_ know how hard that is to do while you have to fight insane robot idiots. I mean, c'mon.)

"I heard that you tried to set us off…" cooed a voice. It wasn't a record. It was a _real_ voice. Eraser? It wasn't speaking to me, it was too far away.

I turned to see a whitecoat holding a needle with a green substance inside of it, the girl trembling, up against the door, trying to get as far away as possible. Angel was somewhere, but this eye-catching event kept my attention intact.

"I also heard that you were going to…" He paused to add effect to his threat, which was working for everyone who could hear his calm but scary voice. "Kill off… Itex?" he questioned, his teeth bared, showing his anger. "The director wasn't… happy. She trusted that you would be our army leader… But this? Oh, Teresa, let's just say that the terminators are your best escape."

He taped the glass that held the needle fluid, advancing for her throat.

"WAIT!!!" Angel yelled desperately, shooing off the arms that held her back. I watched seriousness come over her pale, innocent face before she worked her magic. "You want to keep that aside from her." She said in a deep, cold voice. "Why not stab yourself with it?"

Confusion passed over the whitecoat's face, and the needle went into his neck, not the girl's. I didn't make eye contact with Angel, afraid that I would get hypnotized as well. I felt a tap on my shoulder and saw Fang looking at me with concern.

I shrugged it off and made my way over to the remaining mutants and started to take all the left over anger out on their cruel faces.

_Why do they always have to ruin someone's life?_, I asked myself as I punched one Flyboy in it's face, making a dent. I finished it off easily by knocking it over with a quick left hook and an uppercut.

I searched around me, breathless. There weren't anymore. Just the awestruck students, watching me with scared eyes. I met them all with a stare that said, 'Don't-say-a-word', and marched over to where the rest of my Flock was huddled.

The girl was in the center, talking about something I couldn't catch on. "I didn't do anything." She said calmly to Iggy. "All I did was come to this school to stop _you_, and that didn't work now, did it?"

I clenched my teeth. I did not like this girl's attitude.

"I see why they wanted to kill you." I said, rage rolling off my tongue. "You can be a _least_ bit grateful, you little brat."

Her brown eyes met mine, and I saw her muscles tense up. "Oh, really, Ms. _Maximum Ride_, last time I checked, actually _do what they tell me to_."

I gave her the fiercest glare I have given anyone in my life, making her look elsewhere in a millisecond. Perfect.

"I really don't like you." I said finally, and I could almost sense Fang's smirk. "But, here's what I'm gonna do. You're going take the blame for the school damages, students, hostages, etc. While we," I pointed to the five of us. "Get the easy get away and I save the mission and destroy evil Itex. Got it?"

She opened her mouth to protest, but Angel cut her off. "Max, she's my teacher's daughter. You know the one who freed the experiments from the School? **(coughchapter18cough)** Well, she just escaped from the biggest Itex plant in North Carolina, but they caught her first…" she trailed off, meeting my narrowed eyes. "I just thought… well, that you really wouldn't like to kill someone who is going to free some of the kids who are just like us."

I was frozen, her words made me want to rewind and dash for something to get me out of here. But that wasn't happening.

"Let's go. _Now_." I grabbed her hand, and whipped her with me to the hallway and out the exit, taking flight. The rest of the Flock was behind me.

"Max… Please don't be mad at me. Max?"

I ignored her and studied the landscape below. Her voice was just background music to the words repeating in my head.

_I just thought… well, that you really wouldn't like to kill someone who is going to free some of the kids who are just like us._

I grabbed my head and _felt_ like slamming it against a tree.

I _hated_ Itex.

-x-x-x-

"You can't be mad forever." Iggy sang from in back of me. I paid no attention to the blind sarcastic one.

My gaze was permanently pasted ahead on the fluffy clouds. I wasn't going to talk to anyone until I got a hold of myself.

"We're landing and sleeping in a cave." I said, noticing it was getting dark. I didn't give any other orders.

"AND SHE SPEAKS!!!" Iggy exclaimed, seeming amazed. "IMPOSSIBLE! LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, I GIVE YOU--"

"Iggy! SHUT _UP!_" I yelled so loud, _I_ even thought I lost it. I angled myself downward, finding a small shelter that was big enough for us all. I expected them to follow me.

I quickly checked out our new home for the night, then went inside and relaxed against the wall. (Haha, I crack myself up).

"Ig, you and Gaz go get some firewood, Nudge and Angel go find some leaves _really_ far away to decorate the place. I saw some maple trees a little east of the clearing." Fang said, giving orders for me.

While everyone set off, I watched as he shuffled towards me and sat down. I closed my eyes, wishing I could turn around and bang my head a million times on the stone walls.

"I'm not going to talk," I said, rubbing my temples. "You're out of luck."

His sigh showed that he was really worried. "Max, please? You scared Angel out of her skin, Iggy is now zipped up, and Nudge is… well, Nudge but that's not the point. What's wrong?"

I lifted my head up and stared right into his eyes. "Did you even _hear_ what Angel said to me before we left? Are you _stupid_?" I kept my voice even, despite my shaking hands. "And better yet, I almost killed someone today! Hello, come back to reality, Mr. Fnick!" I threw my hands over my head in frustration.

There was a long silence before Fang came back, his face full of understanding. "Max, comprehend this for a minute. The School had spies. Girl who had an attitude was against them. Girl said that she was not going to hurt anyone. Girl also said that she knew about us. Plus, Girl interpret--"

"Okay, Fang I get it!!!"

"Good." He said finally. "Because, I need you to get the point. The school, the normal one, that we went to? It was all secrets. Lies. They were all silenced."

I nodded my head.

"A whole bunch of silences."

I lifted my head up again to see his smirking face, and my mood lifted. It would be soon before everyone got back to the campsite, so I shifted around some loose pebbles on the cave floor.

"Max. You sure you're okay?"

Meeting his eyes, I reassured him that I was fine.

"I'm just… shaken up. I really thought that it was a real school, a _real_ new chance at things… Ugh, what am I saying??"

Fang snorted at my words and I rolled my eyes at him.

The rest of the Flock's voices filled the woods and I got up to search through the backpacks we swiped up from Desersy before we made it up into the sky.

"So, what do we go now?" Fang asked me, face impassive.

"We save the world?" I grabbed a can of soda and threw it to him behind my back, grabbing myself one also. I cracked the lid open and let the liquid flow down my parched throat.

I brushed the spare hairs that made it's way out of my 'ponytail' (I hadn't mastered the technique yet), while he groaned.

"Not even a teensy weensy relaxation time--"

Nudge's squealing interrupted his complaint. Going back outside into the clearing, there was a fire lit and the sun was halfway down the sky.

I sat down on the big logs that Iggy had drug to the fire pit and passed out some food to everyone.

"Guys," I started to announce, waiting until all eyes on me. "Tomorrow, we're going to go to the nearest Ite--"

A bullet sounding off against a tree distracted me as experiments appeared out of bushes, holding tasers and animal tranquilizers. "No body move, no one gets hurt." I muttered under my breath, barely breathing. I couldn't believe it. Could they _ever_ give us a break?

The School had found us. _Again._

**I AM GOING TO SAY ONE THING :**

**Review and I will make this story that you all just **_**love**_** go on longer.**

**And Teresa (The 'girl' from Fang's explanation xD) will be in future chapters, and no, she isn't joining the Flock.**

**Umm… Let's see… I **_**might**_** be able to update during the week, because our state exams are during those days and it's cruel to give homework and other tests during that time…**

**And I think that's it.**

**Very sorry about the lateness. I really am. I just **_**don't**_** have time. But there always is spring break with is coming up!!!**

**REVIEW! **

**REVIEW!**

**REVIEW!**

**REVIEW!**

**REVIEW!**

**I promise a funny ending at the end of the next chap.**

**-Mare**

**(YOU GUYS ROCK!!)**


	22. Chapter 22

**State Exams. Do not hurt me. **

**If I got a really good score, then that means more computer time, which means more chapters during spring break. Understand?**

**Oh yeah, I read MR4.**

**Three Words : I hate Fang.**

**Okay :)**

**Okay here it is (sorry about the shortness and the update time /)**

Chapter 22

**Max's POV**

The smell of gunpowder filled my nose, and I violently choked. The bullet marks on the trees around me made it clear that the guns the Flyboys had were deadly, and not afraid to take our lives.

I felt Angel, who was beside me, stiffen for a moment, and I knew something was up. Well, besides the whole 'being attacked' part.

_**One of them has a mind,**_ she said. _**But I don't know which.**_

_Fantastic._, I said sarcastically.

If one of them had a mind, that meant she could control them. But there was a problem : She needed to know which mind it was before she could, well, you know, _control it._

"Long time, no see," said a voice. A voice I didn't remember. "I've been waiting." It continued.

I couldn't help but glance at the twenty-or-so robots surrounding us in a tight circle, but each of them had their eyes focused on nothing. A space of nothing. I let out a sigh.

"And I haven't," I responded through clenched teeth, still looking around for the source. "Now show yourself."

"Ah, I almost forgot."

The fricken _thing_ appeared right in front of my _face_, and I staggered backward. When I say _thing_, you would call my description correct on so many levels. It had a face that was disfigured, hands that were all metal, and its legs were some type of skin armor, which looked like skin and syrup mixed together. It was gross.

"Surprised?" he whispered. "I'm just a failure, exactly like you. But, guess what? I'm here for a real purpose."

My hands formed into fists, and my eyes narrowed. "Maybe if you didn't keep on attacking, we'd have this world finished and saved by now."

Chuckling, he signaled the Flyboys to pick up their guns and aim. "You see, Maximum the world it cannot be saved. The humans have too much of a power, they think they think they know everything." This caused him to smile to himself. "And that is why the by-half plan is being emerged. It will save the planet. But, of course, we need to get rid of _the Flock_, the only six who are planning to destroy it."

His eyes glared at each of us, but we just stared back, not frightened. "You think you can terminate us, _right here_?" I asked, bewildered. Like that would ever happen. "You're very funny."

"We. Are. Not. Afraid. To. Kill." Said one of the Flyboys, eyes turning a deep red. "We. Have. Orders."

The _thing_ nodded it's head at the automated Voice-Box and turned its attention back to me, and only me. "You had the time to make your mark, we've given chances." He said each word with every step he took. "And we are _sick_ of it."

"We've always known that you were sick in the head," I retorted. "Tell us something that we don't already know." 

BAM!! Another bullet bounced off a tree _five millimeters_ away from my nose.

"Like we said," it replied angrily. "We are _not_ afraid."

Then he disappeared. All I could remember was more bullets, Angel yelling, and me falling on the pine needles.

-x-x-x-

**Itex Plant : Portland, Oregon.**

It was in the dead of the night, and the Flyboys were still charging, their skins setting a shiver up the professor's spine.

He did not know how he got here, and why he would devote his time to studying experiments who were hopeless and were actual _people_.

"I can't do this, I can't do this," he muttered to himself, glancing at the clock. "In one hour, the bomb will be set. The whole world gone."

He held his head in his hands and sat down on the white floor, white lab coat blending in perfectly.

There was a beep, and a woman walked in with a high bun, dressed in all black. "Professor." She commanded, glaring at his sitting form. "We need you in Building two, five subjects will not cooperate. Professor? Did you hear me?" her anger filtered through his brain.

"Veronica," he began. "I cannot do this. It won't solve anything. We need a better alternative."

Veronica just stared at his face. "And why should I follow _your_ instructions?" she asked, face turning red with rage.

"Because I created them," he held his hands out to point to the Flyboys, to point out the window to show the subjects cowering outside, waiting to die. "I could turn them all against you." 

"Your daughter, Teresa, will not be fond of your death." She said through clenched teeth. "The reason you are here is because you _wanted_ to live. Now get up, and grab the needles. The director will be here in less then five minutes." 

The professor did not move. "I do not understand your offering," he began again, barely above a whisper. "What if I want to be dead?" 

"Then you'll have your wish."

The professor was gone, and soon would the world.

**GAHHH!!**

**REVIEW, TELL ME IF YOU LIKED IT.**

**And :**

**Teresa is not dead. She will not join the Flock, no she is not an experiment. Yes, Max hates her. Why? Because she is paranoid.**

**Okay, now you can review**

**One more thing : **

**Questions are love. I love questions. **

**-Mare**


	23. Chapter 23

**Okay, I'm answering questions!! **

**Why I hate Fang in MR4 --**** I guess I'm aggravated with them **_**both**_**. I mean, JUST GET TOGETHER!! Ugh, and I CANNOT stand the whole blog entry that Fang posted that was in the book. That really made this whole 'I HATEHATEHATE HIM!! GRRRR!!'**

**Anywayys...**

**Cullen-o-mania -**** Oooh... Questions are fun. I love question marks. They're C's and like... a squiggle and a dot. Heh.**

**Maximum ride forever -**** Teresa was the one the School was after so Max doesn't trust her. And she hates it that Angel does.**

**To all my reviewers --**** You guys are... -looks up adjectives that go with fabulous, amazing, awesome, fantastic... etc.-**

**Read my friends, read!!**

**If you like it, then tell me!!**

Chapter 23

**Max's POV**

I woke up to be in a large, and get this, white room. Either : A), I was going insane, or B), I was at the School for the millionth time in my life. As the antiseptic smell entered my nose, I winced slightly and automatically chose B, which was the first option that would come to mind of a mutant bird kid. But, of course, I was Max. I had two options, 'cause I was just _so_ special like that.

I rubbed my aching head and tried to shift my weight on my other side, since the current position I was in was very uncomfortable. I attempted, but a silent voice whispered something in my ear.

"Don't move," it said softly. I thought I remembered it, but somehow my brain wasn't functioning. "Stay completely still."

I took a sharp intake in breath and found that it had hurt me pretty badly. I wondered what had happened that caused me to well, be _here_, and not with the Flock. Everything was too bright, the florescent lights reflecting off the all-white surfaces, causing me to be practically _blinded. _

"Who... who are you?" I managed to gasp out, locating my hand and trying to comfort my aching ribs.

"I said no movement," the voice said angrily, throwing my hand back to its original place. My eyes widened, and, if it was possible at this point, my chest tightened.

Cript was right there. Right next to me.

"Get... off of me!" I grumbled, throwing his arms off of myself. "You betrayed me... you're... you're..." I struggled to find the words. "A monster!"

He was silent for a minute, and I let my now adjusted eyes survey the room carefully. There was one metal door, but you needed an ID card to get in and out, and there was no windows. Plus, there was only a metal table. It was about the size of a regular notebook.

"Why am I here?" I asked him angrily. He could at least supply me with _some_ information.

"They shot you," he said under a whisper. "Fang killed a few Flyboys before he was shot too, and then tranquilizers were used on the rest of the Flock," he paused, staring at his dirty sneakers. "They decided that you should live, but they're killing the rest of them now."

My face turned to stone, and my eyes became the sharpest daggers that had ever been see before. I needed a plan. One that would really work. "I have to get out of here," I murmured, glancing around the room once more.

"How?" Cript questioned me, his eyes challenging. "You can't save everyone, Max. They're ending the world in less then three hours."

This caused my already clenched fists to go even more strained. Then my brain processed some information. "Is Fang alive?"

"What?" he asked, alarmed. It was a question that came right out of the sea of random, somewhere Nudge was familiar with.

"Is Fang alive?!" I asked louder this time, feeling the rage fuel my blood.

"Yes." Cript said, recovering and answering my question. "They removed the bullet during surgery, but the pain killers are making him weaker."

I felt like banging my head on a wall. Fang could have gotten the Flock out of this mess, but not _now_, with him all loopy. My Flock could, and would not die, at any cost. Not unless I died first. I looked at the metal door, then back at the table. It was made out of pretty thick metal, despite how small the length was.

"I'm going to ram the door." I told Cript without looking at him, knowing he would roll his eyes or go on another rant about how I couldn't save this and that and blah blah_ blah_. I had a priority that I had to stick to.

I lifted the table up and inspected the legs. Pretty sturdy, but I had a feeling that they wouldn't break through. But I couldn't underestimate it after I already made the decision.

I backed up as far as I could, against the opposite wall, and ran towards the door at top speed. At the same time, a Whitecoat entered in and the metal table bashed into it's weak chest, making his head crack against the hard, tile floor. I made a sick face before picking myself up and making a run for it, before they called back up.

_Okay, okay. Voice? This is where you actually TELL ME WHERE TO GO!_

I made a few sharp left turns, still holding the metal table, ready to crush anyone in my way. I bumped into this hurried-looking woman holding a whole bunch of greenish looking liquids, and she lost her balance, pouring the chemicals on the floor. I continued on, hoping Jeb would respond.

_Max, listen to me_, Jeb said in an urgent voice. _Make a right turn, and go through the door marked 'Extermination'. The Flock is in there. Hurry Maximum, Hurry!_

I followed Jeb's instructions and was soon in the room that he had directed me to. And there was my Flock, looking panic-stricken at the experiments before them. I wasted no time, using my metal table to bash the enemies' heads, and using my legs to throw roundhouse and unlimited sidekicks to their ribs. They didn't even touch me, that's how fast I was. Well, that was until someone shot me with a taser, causing me to fall _flat on my face._

"Max!" Fang yelled, struggling against the ropes that bound his hands. Apparently the pain killers were starting to wear off. He broke free and kneeled beside me, ignoring the Flyboys armed with guns standing a foot away from us.

"Max, they aren't kidding this time," he whispered, pulling me up, while I tried to find my footing. I was dazed. "The director... she's watching. She won't give up until we're gone."

I shook my head for a moment, then his words sunk in. "I'm not going to let you guys go," I whispered, getting to my feet and glaring the robots down. "These bolts are a lot less then you. Put up a fight!"

But he just shook his head. Fang was giving up. I mean, he has before, but not at a time so important, where I might loose my whole family. _He's giving up... this has to be a dream_.

I have no control over it, Jeb reminded me. Make him get it together and get out, as fast as you can.

"You can't give up!" I pleaded, squeezing his hand, but he just shook his head. "Snap out of it!" I slapped him, hard, but his eyes just connected with mine. He wasn't reacting to the pain killers. He really just didn't want to do it anymore.

"Iggy? Nudge?" I looked at each of them, and they were as astonished as I was. So was the Gasman, and Angel, but she had read his mind anyway. "Fang, why? Why... _now,_ of all times?"

"We'd like to begin the process of elimination," said a voice, from a hidden speaker. The director. I ignored it and looked earnestly in Fang's eyes.

"You aren't doing this." I said finally. "And that's an order." I threw him against the wall and walked over to the remaining members of my family that were willing to kill some evil scientists. But the Flyboys just grabbed me by my shoulders and banged me against the floor. I lifted my head up in a millisecond after I had fallen, and began the attack. A kick here, and kick there, a twist in the head, done. I worked on the other one, but I was punched from behind.

Before I knew it, I was back in my position on the floor, being kicked everywhere and feeling numb all over. I wasn't letting go, and that was the only reason why I heard Fang through the crisis around me.

"Max... I'm not giving up," he yelled so I could hear it clearly. "I just want us to be happy... I want us to be free. But the first step is getting out of here." I knew that he was attacking the army of evil Itex fighters while I held on.

I hadn't felt so proud in my lifetime, and get this, I actually smiled, while, uh, hello? Flyboys where kicking me to death._ I would not let them die unless I was first, _I reminded myself. _And hopefully, I will never die._

**Gahh, this chapter is all '_blahhhhh'_ ): I don't like it, but there's more action and answers comin' up!**

**Okay, review and I will feel more confident, because right now this didn't help at all!!**

**One thing : THIS IS ****NOT**** THE LAST CHAPTER. IF YOU WANT MORE THEN YOU WILL REVIEW. _Riiighhttt??_ (The correct answer is yes, and you will...!)**

**Okay.**

**Ask questions and I will give you FAX in the next chapter people!!**

**-Mare**

**REVIEWREVIEWREVIEW!!**


	24. Chapter 24

**I am stupid. I am not worthy. I deserve to be thrown in the dungeon with the rats... But I'd like to give you my offering! (Even if it's short...)**

Chapter 24 **(****Set to end on 25)**

**Max's POV**

By this time, my right side had gone numb. My left had lost feeling a _long_ time ago. And the stupid robots kept on kicking me! What was a mutant bird kid to do? Well, uh, here's a suggestion, _DUCK!_

--

You would _think_ that the two evil pyros would give someone a heads up before they let off a bomb that rattled the whole dungeon for_ five_ straight minutes, not including the aftershock, and maybe apologize after it too!

"_What_ were you thinking?" I yelled, after the building stopped shaking. Bad idea. I inhaled millions of pieces of tiny rocks and stones that half choked me to death. All you could hear was a girl coughing her _guts_ out, and, I swear, I was on the verge of _puking_, that's how difficult breathing was. Luckily, someone threw me a gas mask. _Thank you Lord,_ I had thought to myself, slipping the magical thing over my head as best as I could.

When I had it on, and was adjusted to the very small lighting, I searched for the rest of my Flock. It turned out I was just talking to a bunch of stones. The Flock was being hustled out of the room by the good 'ol Teresa, the one who I _loved_, just _oh so_ much. Yeah, right. My eyes flickered to her arm, where a whole bunch of gas masks were hanging by their straps on her arm. _Ooo-kay, she saved me. Big woop,_ I thought to myself, not impressed.

_She didn't save just _you_,_ the Voice said, sounding annoyed. What about the rest of your Flock, huh?

Woops. I forgot about them. I guess I owed her _something._ She then walked over to me and helped me up, leading me to an crack in a wall that wasn't shattered (to my surprise), and thats where I found the rest of my family. The air was clearer, so I took off the mask.

"Oh, God, Max!" Angel screamed, running up to me. She took her arms and wrapped them around my torso, and I winced. "Oops, sorry about that," Angel said forgetting about my injured sides. I just smiled at her. I had forgot about them, too.

I glanced at the rest of the Flock and stopped at Fang, who was looking straight at me. _Oh, that damn kid was going to get it,_ I thought, feeling slightly annoyed and just... indescribable. I let go of our stare to look back at Angel, who was staring at me.

"I think Teresa wants to say something," she muttered, and I turned to see her standing behind me. I had forgotten (again) that she was there. I looked in her direction, and saw that she looked really depressed. I almost felt sympathy. Almost.

"You guys better get going," she said, attempting to smile. "The Director is going to be here soon."

I cocked my head to one side, like a _dog_, I guess, and lifted an eyebrow. I _probably_ looked like a deranged monkey that was attempting to do a crossword puzzle on physics. "What's up with you?"

So much for not feeling sympathy.

"They killed my father," she whispered, looking at her tattered shoes. "He stood up to... _Her_, and she... took his life. He didn't want to kill all of the innocent experiments. When they killed him... they made me watch. He also... told me--" she took a deep breath, trying not to burst into tears. "T-that you have only a few minutes to stop the bomb that ends the w-world. He s-said that Iggy would know how to d-detonate i-it." She wiped a stray tear from her eye. Angel squeezed my hand, telling me that her point was coming. "It's h-how you'd save the world... H-how you'd save u-us."

Then she broke out in loud, echoing sobs.

Thank the _lord_ that this was finally over.

**THE ACTUAL ENDING IS COMING UP.**

**I AM WRITING IT RIGHT NOW.**

**Review so I know that you guys are still out there. :(**


	25. Chapter 25

**Okay, guys, here it is. By writing this author's note, I am ATTEMPTING to make this chapter a total of 3,138 words. Woo-hoo! And, to let you know, I have an Epilogue coming up, so this is the _ending_, but not the actual last part to the story. Aha, I got you there. ;)**

**Anyways, keep on reading, and REVIEW. Thanks! It took me... five days to type this up. That's insane.**

The Last Chapter.

**Max POV**

"How," I grunted, trying to fit through the entrance of the _teeny tiny_ air vent. "Am... I..." I pushed harder to cram into the small space. "Suppose... to... fit... in... HERE?" I finally got my bird body through the undersized frame of the vent. I stopped to catch my breath.

"Like that." Fang said matter-of-factly. I looked behind me, and glared at him. "I wouldn't be talking if I were you," I retorted, turning back to the air vent maze in front of me. _Now, how to get to the bomb room... _I dropped my eyes to the map in front of me (which was in crayon, the only writing utensil we could find in the new bomb wasteland. Another point to be furious at Iggy and Gazzy), that was for the purpose of getting to where the bomb was held.

_"It's high top security." Teresa said, using the green crayon to construct a map. "My father took me there once, about a week ago. It's outside, obviously, but it's protected by Flyboys, Erasers, you name it, along with recombinants that will kill you if you meet their eyes." She was carefully making a route that would be the fastest and easiest way to be un-noticed and closest to the bomb. "How do you know the air vents' paths?" I asked, slightly amazed. A smile flickered on her face before she lifted up a blueprint. "Stole it from the main office," she said simply, and then focused back on the map. She handed it to me when she was done._

_"Wait," I said, realizing something. "Shouldn't Iggy be going in, not me? I thought he had to destroy the bomb." I said to her, surprising myself that I was trusting her. I mean, after she kinda sorta saved mine _and_ the Flock's lives, I had decided that she was alright, for now. I guess. I worry myself sometimes. _

_"You're the distraction." she said, getting up. I nodded my head, understanding the base of the plan. Apparently, Iggy and the Gasman were going to go into the bomb hold after I get some attention, then, Fang, Angel, and Nudge would help me fight them down. Teresa was going to be on the down low, since they killed her father and all. "C'mon," Teresa said, waking me out of my trance. "Let's find that vent."_

And, here I was, using the little flashlight Teresa had given me to see the map. It wasn't that difficult to decipher, but I wasn't all that good with maps, either. I began to make my way through the vent. "Be careful!" Fang called after me, sounding a little concerned.

"Yeah, yeah," I said, rolling my eyes. "I'm totally going to be attacked in an air vent." I kept on going, using my elbows and knees to squeeze my body through the box-sized tunnels. _God, this is hard,_ I thought, trying to turn a corner. My jeans kept on getting stuck to the metal. I felt _cold_ air go past me. Here's the horrible part about the whole air vent hacking thing : when the people turn the air on. It gets _really_ cold. And this was a really big facility, so there were a whole bunch of air currents of different temperatures. _Fun,_ I thought bitterly.

We're counting on you, the Voice chimed in, and I held back a groan. Way to put the pressure back on. Just remember : Make sure to check the bomb shelters first, there might be a few people in there.

I didn't bother to answer it. It was on my back enough already.

-x-x-x-

Alright. So I was at where the air vent ended, and there was a wooden door that I had to get through, to get to where the bomb hold was. Joy. I carefully got my way out of the frame (this one was a _bit_ bigger than the other one), and approached the wooden entrance. I put my ear to the door to listen if there were any positioned people by it, but didn't hear anything. I cautiously opened the door a crack and peered in. Nobody was there. It was a warehouse.

_Yeah guys, you're so smart,_ I thought, and I felt like cracking up. That had been really easy. Maybe too easy, the Voice added, and I went onto high alert. I had to be _really _careful.

"Professor! Check the hybrids! Make sure that they are being exterminated as planned!" directed a woman's voice. I sucked my breath in. I had to get outside. Being extremely quiet, I opened the warehouse door that led to the bomb hold, and saw that most of the guards were being fixed up. The bomb that Iggy and the Gasman had set off caused some damage here, too. So, now what was I suppose to do? Well, besides just hiding there and being paranoid, I needed to distract them. Jeez, this was going to be fun.

I slowly walked out into the center of the field, where I could easily be seen by _everyone_ _who was working along the sides._

"Who's that?"

"What is _She_ doing here?"

"Code Red, we have trouble."

"Call the security!"

"Get the guards!"

"Get the _girl_!"

Maybe this wasn't the _best_ way to handle this situation.

-x-x-x-

**Fang's POV**

"When are we going out after her?" I asked, after Max had climbed through the air vent. I was anxious to see what was going to happen, there was _no_ way that she was falling in their clutches for the _millionth_ time with out me being there, when she worries about the Flock, or when she's about to go insane, like she always does.

"Relax. She'll be fine." Teresa reassured me, and I just narrowed my eyes at her. For some reason, I still didn't trust her all the way yet.

"Alright, so how do we destroy this bomb?" Iggy asked, cutting to the point. He obviously was concentrating on the thing I _should _have been, but I couldn't. I felt bad for saying that I was giving up, when Max had tried to get us free. That was stupid. I was stupid. Argh, I wish she was here to listen to _that_.

"...And so you disconnect the wire, and, well, you know the rest," Teresa explained, and I just rolled my eyes. _Can we _please_ just go out there already_?, I thought angrily, feeling annoyed. I wanted to kick something, I wanted to get out there. I don't care how many times I said it, over and over. I _needed_ to be in the action _with_ her. With Max.

"Okay, so, here's what we _really_ should be worrying about," I said, exasperated. "What are we going to do _next_?" I waited angrily, fists clenching, and eyes feeling very, _very_ murderous. "Well, uh," Teresa stammered, scared by my expression. "We need to wait 'til we get some of the guard's messages from this walkie-talkie that I took--" All the sudden we heard static and words.

_"Fast! There's an intruder! She's about 5'9, blonde hair, brown eyes, and has avian DNA. That means WINGS, guys, okay? Everyone, eyes on the prize, stay _focused_! Do you understand me? _One_ mess-up and you'll be on the list for extermination! Let's move people, let's move!_"

I took my eyes off of the silver walkie-talkie and glared at Teresa. "We leave, _now_." I stated, not waiting for her answer. She was going to show us where to go before I _made _her. "Okay," she said, leading the way. "There's an emergency ext around here anyway, and since the alarms should be sounding any second--" the building we were in filled with sirens. I just pushed past her and traced a crack in the wall.

"Here." I said, pointing. "Open it." She searched the wall around the crack before settling on a small indent. She then pushed it. Ta-da, we were greeted with the pleasant surprise of a battle forming in front of our eyes.

-x-x-x-

**Max's POV**

"We do not want to hurt you," a loud speaker spoke, somewhere around me. I rolled my eyes. _That was so not true_, I thought angrily. "But we will, if you do not cooperate."

"Cooperate?" I yelled, ignoring the massive mob of experiments on Itex's side surrounding me, on all sides. "This is _me_, you're talking to!" Apparently, I was heard, but I didn't get an answer until about, say, a minute later, when the mob was carefully around me in a circle, closing in. That _damn_ claustrophobia. "You are weak, Maximum," it had said, and I gritted my teeth. "There is no way you can help the world, _now_." Those words echoed in my brain, and I felt the adrenaline rush go through my body.

_There's no way you can save the world, _now_._

Yeah, right. I stepped forward, basing all my anger on the people in front of me. "Oh yeah?" I snarled, punching a Flyboy. "Guess what? _I'm damn stronger than any of you stupid scientists_!" Then I went freaking _crazy_, going out on all of the guards that dared to come in a fifty-foot radius to where I was. Yeah, I got a few kicks and hits on me when I versed some of the newer, better protectors that Itex had come up with, but all of them, and I mean _all_ of them, were beaten. By, yep, _me._

"I'm so weak," I muttered, finishing off the last of them. "Let's see you do that!" I yelled, loud enough for them to hear me. I searched the outside perimeter, and saw that there were more Flyboys, Erasers (didn't they terminate those?), you name it, they were all coming at me. Out of a bomb shelter. How many bomb shelters were there? Considering that there had to be _at least_ five or six, there must've been _a lot_ of Itex creations. Oh boy.

I scanned the crowd of them to see if there were any 'leaders' that told them what to do, or if there were any that looked weaker than the others. My search found nothing. Well, not yet.

"Need some help?" Nudge called from behind me._ Oh, thank the Lord_, I thought gratefully. There was no way I would be able to fight all these guys alone, being that most of them were updated with some genius software and totally different than what we are used to. "I'll take the left with Angel," she announced to me, and I nodded. At least she wasn't being a motor mouth like usual. "I'll help you with the right," Fang mumured, and I turned my head to him.

"You better."

He just cracked a smile before slamming his fist into an idiotic metal head.

--

"Aha, Maximum, is it?" Asked an Eraser behind me. I just glared at it, blocking it's punch that was easy as easy could get. "Just," I threw a punch to his left to distract him. "Max." I took my other hand and landed a perfect, bone-breaking hit that was aimed perfectly at his jaw. Score.

"Strong and hot." The Eraser purred, and I glared at him, feeling my anger level raise a few notches. And by 'few', I mean _a lot_. "No wonder why Mr. Fangs here loves you," I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from pulling his spleen out his wolf-snout. "I'd take you any day. And I'm not emo."

"He. Isn't. Emo." I said, with clenched teeth. I thought my eyes were going to pop out of my skull.

"Oh, yeah?" Butt-head Eraser boy responded, studying his claws. I felt like ripping them off, cuticle by cuticle. "Then what is he? Besides a failure, a loser, and a professional _screw up_?" Then, I lost it. I took his hand, and held it, like I was about to snap it. "Now listen," I barked, putting pressure on to his wrist, making him wince. "Listen good. I've been _running for my life _from you guys, I've been put to tests that _should've_ killed me, I've also been through things that you would think is completely impossible. But, guess what hot shot, here I am. I'm not going to get killed out here just because you're jealous of my _best friend_," I glared at him so hard, I swore that could have made him pass out right then and there. "And, yes, I am going to do this." _Snap!_ There went his wrist. "Buh-bye." I smiled sweetly and stalked off, his muffled cries the least of my worries. I had a battle going on around me.

--

"_Stop Fighting!_" echoed a voice over a loudspeaker. That stupid speaker. I _really_ wanted to know who was in charge of that thing. I still held my current victim, a new model, who had _really_ strong grip. So, avoiding his hands was difficult, but I had securely pinned him up against a wall, my palm against his neck.

"_Put Your Victims _Down_, Now._" I slowly watched Fang withdraw his almost-there punch in defeat, and drop his Flyboy down with difficulty. Angel removed her pointer fingers away from her head, and stopped a female Eraser stop fighting with an experiment that was much too strong for any of us to defeat. Nudge let go of a boy, who looked normal, but had cat DNA graphed into his stem cells, down from her grip of his Itex shirt collar, not even bothering to set him _gently_ on the floor, just letting him go down like a sack of potatoes.

"_Max..._" It warned, and I rolled my eyes, taking my palm and swiping the Eraser on to the dirt-covered ground, making sure he was face-first. He hit it, and moaned with pain. I smirked. "Happy?!" I yelled out loud, using my '_bring-it-on_' face, where my eyes still showed I had adrenaline, and my teeth were thirsty for more action. I was ready to rip something apart. Fang glanced at me and shook his head, telling me not to bring on any more trouble. I ignored him. I was still mad.

"_If You Want To Live,_" The person over the speaker said, and my fists clenched. "_Then You Will Listen._" I stretched my fingers out, trying not to cramp them. "We already went over this," I said out loud, and I heard a sigh.

"_Will You Ever Cooperate_?" It asked, seeming very angry.

"Nope." I said smiling my signature smile. There was no way I was going along with these _idiots_.

"_Well, That Doesn't Matter,_" It said smartly, and I just waited for it to go on. "_The Bomb Is Going Off In Five Seconds Anyway._" I closed my eyes and _prayed_ that Iggy and Gaz had destroyed the bomb, _Oh please God, please, please PLEASE_?

I didn't hear an explosion, and I opened my eyes. Fang was beside me, his hand on my shoulder, Angel and Nudge were jumping up and down, cheering, and I saw Iggy and the Gasman come out from behind a counter, smiling excitedly. "We did it!" Iggy announced, and Angel ran over to me, jumping into my arms. I turned around to see the other experiments self-destructing. Angel caught my attention again, and gave me a grin. She gets more powerful everyday.

Fang took Angel from my arms and threw her up in the air, and she opened her wings, flying out of the open bomb-hold. There were no more boundaries, nothing stopping us from living. Well, except the whole expiration-date thing. But, I didn't need to think about that right now. I heard some sirens coming through, and I caught everyone's eyes. It was time to leave. We joined Angel, high up in the sky, waving down to Teresa, who had a cell phone up to her ear. She called the police so the Whitecoats wouldn't get away.

"Thank you!" Gazzy screamed down, and I laughed. Those eight year-olds.

"So, what next?" Fang asked me, and I shrugged my shoulders.

"How about finding a home?"

He gave me one of those rare smiles, but this one lasted. "Now that we have nothing to do, we can be free!" Nudge exclaimed, interrupting the moment. Whatever that means. "We can go to the park, and to Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, maybe even the Caribbean! How about _Jamaica_?! Ooh! Let's go to China and try to speak CHINESE! Maybe, even, we can go to Canada, learn some French, then go back to France, and then go to Finland, then Iceland, then to the North Pole! Then we can go to Indonesia, and maybe even Australia!"

"OKAY!" we all screamed at once, and she giggled.

"Sorry, I got over-excited."

"I'd say," Iggy muttered, and I tapped him hard with my wing. He just shrugged, grinning. And, as a Flock of six, including our _dog_ that made it seven, flew off into the night, the air feeling even better than it usually did under our powerful wings. Way to go Flock!

**Yay! Press that bottom to review, please. I'm begging you. I am here to not only entertain you, but keep my writing up-to-date, so when I go back to school in the fall, I'll be great at writing and have the confidence to write when I get a job. That'll be a lot of fun.**

**And, another thing, just because I finished this story DOES NOT mean I don't write other ones. There's **Choice**, where the Flock thinks Max is dead, and Max really was just kidnapped (this one is a really good one, I find it a lot of fun to write), and I'm writing one that my FF partner (Hayley) is in love with, so keep your eye out!**

**Click Review!**

**-Mare**


	26. Epilogue

**Oh, and before I forget, here's something I just wanted to add up here.**

_**Choice -** __ One of those stories where there's a big misunderstanding and Max and the Flock are seperated. What happens when Max wants revenge? Poor Fang thought Max was dead, the Flock is torn, and now their former leader is planning a attack! Ah, it's a very fun story to write. (Check it out, if you like Silences, you'll like this one. Just try it!)_

_I have two others that I was thinking about posting, but I don't feel like putting up the summaries here. They aren't released yet, so I don't want to risk people stealing my ideas. Just keep checking our profile, maybe I'll finally put them up for people to read!_

**Epilogue. Be Happy.**

**Max's POV**

We were raiding Dr. Martinez's backyard with our shouting and obnoxious behavior. "I want to ring the doorbell first!" Nudge announced, landing on the green grass and running around to the porch out front. "I get to knock!" Gazzy yelled, sprinting after her. "Okay, well I get to scream through the mail slot!" Angel called after them, trying to catch up.

"Oy." I muttered, rubbing my head, trudging across the lawn. "Maybe we should've given them a head's up?" I asked, directed at Fang. He didn't answer me, looking as bad as I felt. It was like those three kids were on a major sugar high.

"I'll go make sure they don't do anything," Iggy grunted, walking ahead. I rolled my eyes, and just watched my feet walk across the grass. Left, right, left, right. Left--

"If you guys walk any slower, I think a turtle will pass you!" Gazzy called over the porch railing. He looked pretty annoyed. "Why? Are you waiting for us to ring the doorbell, knock and... scream?" Fang asked, pausing a bit at the last part. The Gasman nodded at least a hundred times.

"Stop shaking your head like that, you'll break it!" Nudge said to him.

"No it won't!" he answered, still moving his head. "For your _information_, I have a _very_ strong neck."

"You also have a brain full of hot air!" Nudge retorted.

"OKAY!" I said over them, reaching the porch. "Are you going to ring the doorbell or am I?"

"I'm knocking," the Gasman reminded me and I glared at him. All of us were eager to tell my Mom about the good news. That it was finally over. No more 'Do this' or 'Do that' or 'Destiny' and 'You will die' crap. It was _over_. Angel's shoe tapping interrupted my thoughts. "Can we _please_ knock now?"

"I thought Gazzy was knocking," Nudge said, confused.

"Okay quit it!" Iggy exclaimed impatiently. "Do the damn knocking, screaming and ringing! I would like some _air conditioning_."

And then the hell after the world was saved began.

--

"Okay, guys, remember, preheat the oven. I'm taking Ella to her soccer game. If you're gonna make cookies, you better make them right," Dr. Martinez said, chuckling. She had handed Nudge the ingredients list, and had made four other copies stored in a drawer _far_ from the kitchen, just incase something went wrong. "Also, no _bombs_ in the cookies, and _no_ cookie dough fights unless you are willing to clean it up!" I smirked from my place at the kitchen table, just there to supervise. Since I really couldn't cook, I didn't feel like trying. And messing up. And getting teased about it forever for my lifetime (however long it was) about how cookies exploded... without any explosives.

Ella came down the stairs, in her soccer uniform. She had a ball in one hand, a bottle of water in the other, and cleats hanging by their laces in her teeth. I didn't even want to think about where _those_ had been. She sat down on the last step and began untangling the knot that held them together to put them on her feet. "You know, you guys could always come to the game. It'll be really fun..." I glared at my step sister and she immediately shut her mouth. "I-I mean, you really shouldn't come to the game, your better off making... erm, cookies! Yep, yummy, yummy... cookies." She was slowly backing out towards the door, and then ran out.

"That's what I thought." I murmured, and Fang rolled his eyes at me. I didn't want to risk our new 'freedom' but being exposed to the public. As I thought of it, we'd wait a few days before walking out the front door, then after a week or two, we could take our wings out for a spin, and find somewhere else to crash for the night. Maybe find a semi-permanent home.

"I'll tell you if she wins," My Mom called over her shoulder, swinging the car keys. She walked out the door and started up the car. "Feel free to give me a ring, tell me if anything went wrong so I expect it!" I smiled and waved to Ella, sitting in the front seat. She just cringed. I laughed.

After the car drove out of the driveway, well, not_ even_ after it drove out of the driveway, the Flock changed their innocent acts into their normal behaviors. Fun.

"Hey, that's _way_ too much flour!" the Gasman said to Nudge, who was putting two cups into the big yellow bowl. I rubbed my temples, getting ready to jump up and separate the two winged children.

"It is _not_," Nudge disagreed, still pouring some of the white stuff into the mixture. "Now _that_ is enough."

"No, it's too _much_, dumbo. Take some out!"

"How do you _know_, you never made cookies in your life!"

"Neither have _you_!" Gazzy countered, his hands clenching into fists. Nudge's had three fingers around an egg, and I felt like smacking a plank of wood repeatedly on my stupid brain. _Bang, Bang, BANG!_

The sound effects seemed _too_ real to be in my head. I opened my (closed) eyes, and saw five raw eggs thrown at the wall, yellow yolk all over some of my Mom's priceless photos in expensive frames. "NUDGE! GAZZY!" I screamed, and they slowly turned their heads to look at me. Fang was studying the egg damage carefully, Iggy looked confused, and Angel seemed horrified. "Go down the hallway and get some wipes to clean up!" I ordered, daring them to say something.

"But Nudge threw them!" the Gasman complained, hoping for me to understand. It didn't work.

"But you started it!" Nudge protested.

"OKAY! Guys, we just saved the world. And now you're fighting about _flour_ and how to make cookies. Neither of you have the right to destroy someone's house just because of a _disagreement_. Now, go get the wipes from the cabinet in the bathroom, gets some paper towels from the garage, and clean up. Understand?"

"Yes Max," they both answered glumly, walking towards the bathroom. They were halfway down the hallway when it started up again. "Hey, I'm getting the wipes!" Nudge muttered, opening the cabinet.

"No! I am!"

"Oy," I muttered, rubbing my temples. I heard Angel going through some stuff in the kitchen, talking to Iggy, and Fang carefully mixing together a new batch of dry ingredients. Cookie making could be extremely dangerous to people's house items. Please take this into consideration before deciding to make your own with five Flock members. I had obviously not thought of the risks. Silly me.

-x-x-x-

"So we just... mix this until it's ready?" I asked, and Fang just shook his head at my stupidity. He took the bowl out of my hands and poured the chocolate chips into the dough. Iggy proceeded with stirring the chips with a wooden spoon and taking clumps and putting them on a cookie sheet.

"Can we atleast have some dough?" Nudge asked, sweeping up the flour that was on the floor.

"No." Fang said, ignoring her angry face.

"But it's not fair!" Gaz said, stomping his feet.

"And you're saying life... is suppose to be fair?" I questioned, shoving some of the extra chocolate chips into my mouth and chomping down.

"Yes." Nudge answered, and I rolled my eyes.

"You still have to clean the counters." Iggy muttered, washing his hands and placing the cookie sheet in the oven. "We don't want Dr. Martinez to come home to a dirty house." The two stubborn kids groaned, and moved on to the sink, where the utensils had to be washed.

"I'm going to see what Angel is up to," I said to myself, lifting off the chair and walking into the den.

"Hi Max," the six year-old said to me, smiling. She had gotten bored with making cookies and decided to move on to coloring blank sheets of paper. "Look at what I made!"

She held up a picture of a big, giant cookie. It had eyes and a nose, and a speech bubble that said, 'I'm really delcous!' I smirked at Angel's misspell and searched through her other drawings. Most of them were rainbows, pretty flowers, smiley faces, and even some stick figures hanging out at the beach or a pool.

"Maybe we can do that sometime?" Angel asked me, her blue eyes looking excited and hurt mixed together.

"Maybe." I answered, trying to smile. I tried to keep my thoughts to myself. "I'm going... to go up to the attic, okay? Send a thought if anything goes wrong." She nodded and turned back to the crayons.

_Oh, God, I'm gonna lose it,_ I thought, darting up the attic stairs. Maybe my Mom had something that would amuse me up here. Maybe some pictures of cousins, grandmas... I inwardly cringed, remembering that they would be _my_ cousins, and that the grandma would be _mine_. So, maybe that wasn't the best thing to do right now. I paced, looking back and forth, finally settling on a box that said, _School Items - Junior High_. It was funny, I never thought someone would save stuff from that long ago. I searched through the various things, reading a few science papers.

_A nucleus is a membrane-enclosed organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. It usually contains most of the cell's genetic material, organized..._

I stopped reading it immediately, turning onto a diary. _A diary?_, I asked, puzzled. I only thought these existed in movies, young girls writing their deepest thoughts about the hottest guy in school, and how one cheerleader always gets him, then all the sudden he notices the young, love-struck teenager, asks her out, yada, yada, yada. I was curious if my _Mom_ was one of those junior-high girls, and almost laughed. She couldn't be... could she? I yanked the thing open and began to read.

_October 12th --_

_My mother wants me to start writing in a diary because she thinks I'm holding everything back inside, and thinks I'll become suicidal like her John on her favorite soap opera. I worry about that woman sometimes._

I laughed, enjoying this.

_My Dog, Angelo, just died yesterday morning, and I'm fretfully upset._

__

Is that a good enough impersonation for one of the girls my age these days? Complaining about this, that, how their boyfriend's broke up with them... what they did last summer... Ugh, it's sickening. I can't wait 'til I get out of Junior High, out of High School, start college, then begin to live my dream as a scientist. It's my dream. I don't know what I'm going to do yet, though. Only time will tell. Hopefully I won't regret it... ha-ha.

_It was nice, talking to you... a piece of paper. Yeah.  
-Valencia. _

My Mom was so _cool_.

"Hey, what'cha doing?" Fang asked, standing in the doorway. I shrugged and went through the pages of the diary, still a little flustered about what he had said when I almost got killed by Flyboys.

"Nothing." I replied, setting the book back in the box. It was silent for a while.

"What were you laughing about?" he asked, trying to start a conversation. I just moved my shoulders up and down, fixing my position on the floor. It was dusty, and the nails were rusting, but it was still somewhere to sit. "Was it that?" Fang pointed to the diary I had placed back in the cardboard hold, and lifted it out.

"Yeah," I responded, looking at the floorboards.

"Look, don't be all monotone, okay?" he said, and I smiled. "I'm not a role model."

"No, your not." I said, switching back into my angry-Max mode. He looked at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry," was all he said, rubbing his thumb against the wood, sitting next to me.

"You really scared all of us," I whispered, shaking my head. "If you _wanted_ to die, you could have told us before hand, you know." My head had snapped up to add the ugly words into his face.

"Yeah... I know."

"And if you _wanted_ to let me get killed, you could have told someone so they could slap you silly and nail you down to a tree!" I exclaimed, and he looked a little hurt.

"I'd never want you to die," he had said, still looking at the floor.

"Fang, God dammit, just fricken _look at me_, okay?" He turned his head to stare at me, his super deep brown eyes leaking into mine.

"I wanted to distract them," was all he had said, still staring.

"But that was no reason--" He cut me off, shoving his lips onto mine. I protested, but he just kept on going. I eventually pulled away, a new level of anger set.

"What the _hell_ was that?!"

"An explanation."

I looked at him my eyes shooting daggers.

"Want another one?" he questioned and I tried to stop my smirk. It didn't really do much. And Mr. Fang took that as a 'yes' (stupid facial muscles, do I have to put them in timeout tonight!), he caught me, and this time I had no choice to kiss back, which, of course, was an excuse to.

"Did I tell you that I love you yet?" he asked, breaking away.

"Yes." I replied, and I felt like one of those teenagers my Mom's diary talked about. Of course. Me, Maximum Ride, in love? Hah. That's funny. I laid flat on my back, staring at the attic roof. Fang had went downstairs to go check on the cookies, Ella was back from her soccer game, and Iggy was talking about how the stain on the picture frame in the kitchen was a new addition to the household.

It's funny how in one day, your life is changed.

_Life comes with unexpected surprises, _the Voice reminded me, and I rolled my eyes. Annoyance was still part of the deal.

** A/N : Yay?  
I'm sick, tomorrow's the first day of school, and I just saw a cat fly across my window.  
Distractions, distractions.  
Review, maybe it'll make my burning throat and headache go away?**

**Review please, it's the last part of the story, you have to tell me if it was good... or not!**

_-Maximum Writers._


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